Engineered Systems - February 2009 - (Page 10) Back 2 Basics Based on Cx-3 ATC/FPT and TAB-3 software BY HOWARD MCKEW, P.E., C.P.E. Engineering in the Construction Phase • The designer should manage the design phase fee so that he has adequate funds to participate in the field coordination drawing phase of construction. Refer to “Design & Construction Administration for the 21st Century” in the August 2007 issue of Engineered Systems for more information • The design engineer should request the equipment O&M manual for the associated piece of equipment immediately after the shop drawing has been approved, so that the facility manager can begin the process of building the PM workorder system in the first quarter of the construction phase. • The design engineer should use standardized equipment checklists (refer to “HVACR Designer Tips” or Cx-2 for construction observation) for documenting installation progress, system readiness, and final punchlist. An electronic equipment checklist can be provided to the facility manager at the end of the job to be linked to the CMMS system asset database. • Consideration should be given to the use of “smart software” (e.g., Cx-3 software) that provides ability to print out each sequence-bysequence flow diagram along with associated ATC/FPT checklists, which can then be laminated and put into a operator’s handbook along with the owner’s project requirements (OPR) and the basis of design (BofD) for quick reference, troubleshooting, and future recommissioning. The handbook should be located at unit, with electronic copy saved on CD-ROM. The TAB-3 software program can be used by the TAB firm when they create their system flow diagram documenting the design-to-actual data (e.g., flows, velocities, pressure drops) and laminated and saved within the operator’s handbook. • The design engineer should invest at least one day providing system training using the operator handbooks to educate the owner and associated HVAC service contractor leading up to the building system commissioning, highlighting the BofD and estimated energy budget. or construction manager), HVAC contractor, ATC installer and programmer, electrical contractor, TAB engineer, equipment manufacturers (dust collector, VFD, etc.), and facility operating group. In many installations, the automatic control computer software may be furnished on the unit (e.g., boiler control panel CP-1) and programmed by the equipment manufacturer. • The software program associated with the building system sequence of operation should be closely reviewed, tested, and finalized in a dry run prior to demonstrating the system performance to the commissioning team. When commissioning the computer software programs, it is important that the commissioning engineer have access to the flow diagram (control logic) as part of the FPT procedures. • The TAB engineer in the shop drawing phase shall submit the system flow diagram and design data using TAB-3 software along with the final TAB report table of content, and other pertinent documents outlined in the Division 19000 specification. • The TAB engineer shall participate in the field coordination drawing phase and sign off on TAB-ability. • The TAB engineer shall provide pre-TAB site inspections reports along with standard observation checklists and digital photographs of installation status. • When demonstrating the FPT for the dust collector exhaust (DCE) system, the facility operators should be participating to receive onthe-job system training. Observing the system performance should also include reviewing the O&M manual and PM workorders. • When observing the DCE system FTP, the commissioning team will need to have a commissioning engineer at the building automation control panel/computer and another commissioning engineer or technician at the end devices to observe action/reaction. Third-Party Cx and TAB Engineering in the Construction Phase • Those who contract for commissioning services in the construction phase of the job usually interpret commissioning as being startup. When the commissioning firm is hired to perform functional performance testing (FPT), experience has shown that this approach to commissioning is really enhanced startup because commissioning is intended to begin in the schematic phase of a building program. • The commissioning engineer shall facilitate a specific number of commissioning team meetings along with distribution of meeting minutes. This engineer shall also participate in system readiness site visits and issue field visit reports along with completed observation checklists and digital photographs. • Prior to the FPT demonstration to the owner, the contractor is required to complete the pre-functional performance tests (PFPT), better known as equipment and system startup. • The commissioning engineer’s commission test plan and schedule spreadsheet shall be used by the contractor to fill in the target dates and completion dates for tasks. The PFPT team (this is also the commissioning team) should include the contractor (general contractor 10 En gi neer ed S y stem s February 2009 http://www.subscribeforfree.com
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