Integrated Unfold-PCA Monitoring Application for Smart Buildings: An AHU Application Example

Llorenç Burgas, Joan Colomer, Joaquim Melendez, Francisco Ignacio Gamero and Sergio Herraiz
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Llorenç Burgas: Department of Electrical, Electronic and Automatic Engineering, University of Girona, 17004 Girona, Spain
Joan Colomer: Department of Electrical, Electronic and Automatic Engineering, University of Girona, 17004 Girona, Spain
Joaquim Melendez: Department of Electrical, Electronic and Automatic Engineering, University of Girona, 17004 Girona, Spain
Francisco Ignacio Gamero: Department of Electrical, Electronic and Automatic Engineering, University of Girona, 17004 Girona, Spain
Sergio Herraiz: Department of Electrical, Electronic and Automatic Engineering, University of Girona, 17004 Girona, Spain

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: This paper presents a complete methodology, together with its implementation as a web application, for monitoring smart buildings. The approach uses unfold-Principal Component Analysis (unfold-PCA) as a batch projection method and two statistics, Hotelling’s T-squared ( T 2 ) and the squared prediction error ( SPE ), for alarm generation resulting in two simple control charts independently on the number of variables involved. The method consists of modelling the normal operating conditions of a building (entire building, room or subsystem) with latent variables described expressing the principal components. Thus, the method allows detecting faults and misbehaviour as a deviation of previously mentioned statistics from their statistical thresholds. Once a fault or misbehaviour is detected, the isolation of sensors that mostly contribute to such detection is proposed as a first step for diagnosis. The methodology has been implemented under a SaaS (software as a service) approach to be offered to multiple buildings as an on-line application for facility managers. The application is general enough to be used for monitoring complete buildings, or parts of them, using on-line data. A complete example of use for monitoring the performance of the air handling unit of a lecture theatre is presented as demonstrative example and results are discussed

Keywords: AHU; HVAC; BEM; monitoring; PCA; MPCA; unfold; FDD; smart buildings (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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