Related Case Studies
Read more on how CopperTree Analytics is helping buildings all across the globe create energy savings, improve occupant comfort, and reduce energy consumption with Kaizen.
Over the last thirty years, our partner ESC Automation, has been providing building automation solutions at Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Voted the Best Airport in North America for the tenth consecutive year in the Skytrax World Airport Awards, YVR is Canada’s second busiest airport having served over 25 million passengers in 2018.
More recently, ESC Automation has been working with YVR to improve the operation of several critical systems with enhanced controls and analytics, which would also help reduce potable water consumption on Sea Island – the airport’s home.
Critical systems at the airport include the sanitary sump stations distributed throughout the terminals and apron areas. ESC Automation was approached by YVR for controls expertise as the airport engaged in upgrade initiatives for these stations. The challenge was clear – to provide a robust solution that would not only improve the sanitary stations’ monitoring and control, but also deal with existing issues, including grease build up clogging pipelines and causing lengthy downtimes and costly emergency maintenance to restore sump stations to normal operation.
ESC Automation and YVR’s maintenance department worked closely together to design a comprehensive solution that included custom-built instrumentation panels and Direct Digital Controllers fully integrated with the facilities’ Building Automation System.
These stations are fitted with status indicators and control points, including ultrasonic level sensors, hardwired interlocked float switches, pump amperage status, Hand-Off-Auto switch status and equipment fault indicators. Critical and notification alarms are configured to alert personnel whenever sump levels are high, pumps have failed or are reporting overloads or high-temperature faults.
The performance metrics provided by Kaizen analytics monitors, for instance, unintended inflow water that amounts to wasted water resources. This took place recently as a failed solenoid valve in a station’s automatic wash down let continuous inflow of water. While the inflow dramatically increased, it did not overwhelm the station’s normal operating parameters thus giving no indication of this condition. Kaizen’s ability to breakdown daily outflow rates helped discover this abnormal scenario.
Moreover, the ability to analyze peak and low flow periods aids in the scheduling of flow control measures needed on stations undergoing construction or maintenance work. Having this information not only makes sure the required number of vacuum trucks are available during any given operation, but also helps engineers gain insight into existing loads and capacities critical to future infrastructure planning.
This detailed monitoring has the potential to detect anomalies such as degrading pump outflows indicating possible issues such as grease build up. Proactive preventative measures could be put in place, effectively avoiding a completely clogged system that would require costly remediation services.
With the aid of Kaizen, airport operations are now equipped with additional tools to identify abnormal process scenarios, some disruptive enough to cause a partial shutdown of critical services, temporary closures of passenger terminals or worst, having to deal with potential flooding with disastrous consequences.
ESC Automation continually strives to provide innovative system integrations, smart control strategies and comprehensive analytics provided by CopperTree Analytics’ Kaizen platform. This enables a wide range of organizations to meet their sustainability goals and achieve excellence in environmental leadership while being effective at managing their available resources.
Read more on how CopperTree Analytics is helping buildings all across the globe create energy savings, improve occupant comfort, and reduce energy consumption with Kaizen.
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