Fault detection and diagnosis of HVAC systems

This paper presents a model-based fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) system for building heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC). Model-based fault detection is based on the strategy of determining the difference or the residuals between the normal and the existing patterns. Their approach was to attack the problem on many levels of abstraction: from the signal level, controller programming level, and system component, all the way up to the information and knowledge processing level. The various issues of real implementation of the system and the processing of real-time on-line data in actual systems of campus buildings using the proven technology and off-the-shelf commercial tools are discussed. The research was based on input and output points and software control programs found in typical direct digital control systems used for variable-air-volume air handlers and VAV cooling and hot water reheat terminal units.