Chiller condition monitoring using topological case-based modeling

Abstract

To increase energy efficiency and economy, commercial building projects now often utilize centralized, shared sources of heat such as district heating and cooling (DHC) systems. To maintain efficiency, precise monitoring and scheduling of maintenance for chillers and heat pumps is essential. Low-performance operation results in energy loss, while unnecessary maintenance is expensive and wasteful. Plant supervisors are responsible for scheduling and supervising maintenance. Modeling systems that assist in analyzing system deterioration are of great benefit for these tasks. Topological case-based modeling (TCBM) (Tsutsui et al. 1993; Tsutsui 1995) is an effective tool for chiller performance deterioration monitoring. This paper describes TCBM and its application to this task using recorded historical performance data.