Application of Control Charts for Detecting Faults in Variable-Air-Volume Boxes.
Application of Control Charts for Detecting Faults in
Variable-Air-Volume Boxes.
(559 K)
Schein, J.; House, J. M.
KC-03-8-1;
ASHRAE Annual Meeting 2003, Kansas City, 671-682 pp,
2003.
ASHRAE Transactions, Vol. 109, No. 2, 2003.
Keywords:
fault detection method; ducts; methodology; measuring
instruments
Abstract:
This paper describes a fault detection method developed
for application to variable-air-volume (VAV) boxes.
VPACC (VAV Box Performance Assessment Control Charts) is
a fault detection tool that uses a small number of
control charts to assess the performance of VAV boxes.
The underlying approach, while developed for a specific
type of equipment and control sequence, is general in
nature and can be adapted to other types of VAV boxes.
VPACC has been tested using emulation, laboratory, and
field data sets. The results are encouraging. VPACC
successfully detected each of the faults introduced in
the emulation and laboratory testing and also detected
two faults that were not intentionally implemented. In
addition, no false alarms were identified in the
emulation and laboratory testing. The assessment of
VPACC with field data was not as straightforward,
however, VPACC alarms for the field data do seem to
point to several design and operational issues.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899