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Fan Coil Unit

Example Implementation with Lonix Technologies

01/2009
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Example Application Fan Coil Unit

01/2009

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INDEX

1 2

Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 3 FCU example ....................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Control diagram ............................................................................................................................. 3 2.2 Functional Description ................................................................................................................... 4 Solution with Lonix technologies ..................................................................................................... 5 Required devices ................................................................................................................................ 6

3 4

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1 Introduction
This document presents an implementation example for a typical 3-speed fan coil unit using Lonix technologies. The controls are done using Lonix Modules, and system design and configuration utilizes the Lonix Project Creation Tool (PCT).

2 FCU example
This chapter introduces the control diagram and the functional description of a typical 3-speed fan coil unit.

2.1 CONTROL DIAGRAM

This example diagram shows a typical Fan Coil Unit. Different speeds can be achieved by controlling the supply to the electrical coil by using relays. The fan speed and cooling actuator is controlled according to a temperature setpoint and a local temperature measurement.

Figure 1. Control diagram of a typical 3-speed fan coil unit

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2.2 FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION

Fan coil units are used for attaining a desired temperature in a small area e.g. a small room. FCUs are supplied with pre-cooled air coming from fresh air handling units. To further cool the supplied air fan coil units usually use chilled water coming either from chillers or a heat exchanger. The important mechanical parts involved in the operation of FCUs are the following: Control valve (modulating type) Fan (usually three speeds) Filters for the purification of the supplied air Strainers for the filtration of chilled water Cooling coil

The desired temperature in the serving area is achieved by the simultaneous control of the control valve and the fan. The control valve regulates the flow of cold water inside the cooling coil. The fan blows the supplied air through the cooling coil further decreasing its temperature before it comes to the serving area. When further cooling is not required the control valve is closed preventing the cold water from flowing through the cooling coil. The fan is often designed in such a way that it operates in more than one speed. The temperature of the serving area is controlled according to a setpoint and a temperature measurement. The controller regulates both the fan speed and the control valve according to the deviation of the current room temperature and the setpoint.

Figure 2. Fan speed and valve position The fan can be operated either with manually or automatically. In manual mode the fan speed can be set to operate always in one of the three speeds. In automatic mode the fan speed is determined by the valve position, as can be seen in figure 2.
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3 Solution with Lonix technologies

This chapter shows an example implementation using Lonix Modules and Lonix PCT. The following figure is a screenshot produced from Lonix PCT.

Figure 3. Room Module configuration with PCT Controlling a fan coil unit with a Lonix Room Module is very simple. As the module has a built-in application intended for FCU control, it only needs to be installed in the LON database and the physical connections from the relays, the control valve and temperature sensor need to be done. In addition, a potentiometer for setpoint adjustment and an occupancy sensor can be connected to the module as well. The temperature measurement and the setpoint can also be input from the network. The configuration of Room Modules is done with either PCT or a LON network management tool, such as NL220. One must also see that the jumpers inside the module are set properly. With PCT the configuration is very straightforward. Just go through all the objects in the room module and configure them according to your needs. The most important object to configure is the temperature object (AI1). If the measurement type is not defined then the room module cannot possibly control the FCU. Other configurations, such as potentiometer setpoint range, can be left at their default. Note that not all objects can be configured. The same configurations can be done with a LON network manager by changing values of following network variables: nciTempCtlPts.occupied_cool defines the temperature sensor type. 0 for Ni1000, 1 for Pt1000, 2 for 0-10V transmitter nciTempCtlPts.standby_cool defines the minimum temperature, if a temperature transmitter is used. nciTempCtlPts.unoccupied_cool defines the maximum temperature, if a temperature transmitter is used. nciTempCtlPts.occupied_heat is the offset for the measured temperature. nciTempCtlPts.standby_heat defines the range of the potentiometer for setpoint adjustment.
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nciTempCtlPts.unoccupied_heat range for heating/cooling.

There are also other configuration possibilities which are not crucial for the room module to work properly. You can find these in the Room Module manuals. All these can be configured with PCT as well, see Figure 2. As all Lonix Room Modules are standalone applications, no bindings need to be created. Bindings to/from other modules can of course be created in the same way as with Lonix Multi-purpose modules.

4 Required devices
This chapter lists the required devices for the example implementation. Table 1. I/O objects I/O type DI DO AI AO PID Amount 0 3 1 1 1

To control a single FCU only one 1331F3S5 Lonix Room Module is needed. For the convenient adjustment of the setpoint and for the temperature measurement an LX-TE-R-AP-P is recommended. Details of the suggested products are available at www.lonix.com.

Example Application Fan Coil Unit

www.lonix.com

01/2009