Faculty of Information Engineering

Polytechnic University of Turin

System Design Engineering Perspective

(Centralized Heating System Development)
II Level Specializing Master in
Automatica and Control Technologies

Supervisor: Eng. Federico Bari

M.Ali Akhras
Ahmed Al Albalasie
Almir Becirspahic

2011/2012

Contents Table
CONTENTS TABLE .................................................... 0
CHAPTER 1 .................................................................. 1
Mission Statement ................Error! Bookmark not defined.

CHAPTER 2 ..................................................................2
Brainstorming ........................Error! Bookmark not defined.

CHAPTER 3 ..................................................................8
Mission Scenarios / Phases .........................................................8

CHAPTER 4 ..................................................................9
Life Circle .......................................................................................9

CHAPTER 5 ................................................................ 10
Problems Domain for Each Phase ......................................... 10

CHAPTER 6 ................................................................ 11
The Use Cases of Each Life Circle Phase ............................. 11

CHAPTER 7 ................................................................ 12
Operations and Activities ......................................................... 12

CHAPTER 8 ................................................................ 12
Functional , Performance and Constraint Requirements1Error! Bookmark not
defined.

CHAPTER 9 ................................................................ 15
System Functional Possible Architectures and
System / Subsystem Interfaces ............................................... 15

CHAPTER 10 .............................................................. 17
System Architecture Trade-OFFs ........................................... 17

Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

CHAPTER 1
Mission Statement
The main goal of the project is to convert old centralized heating systems into new
innovative system and metrological methodology that sophisticate the thermal comfort
requirements for each user and the energy saving issues as well as to other technological
aspects like upgrading, remote control capabilities, easiness of usage, and fault detection and
intelligent diagnostic system. One of the main features is to make the system automated as
possible to facilitate and optimize the heating system operation.

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

CHAPTER 2
Brainstorming
General goals:
1. Efficient local control of the temperatures inside rooms through a bi-mode system
(automatic and manual).
2. Increase savings of energy as much as possible without effecting negatively on the
user requests.
3. Optimization of heating distribution system and computation of energy consumption
for each subscriber.
4. Easiness of usage for all the users and control flexibility by many tools like local
remote control device or mobile phone.
5. Improvement of maintenance operations through a smart diagnostics system to
increase the life cycle of the heating system.

Troubles of the old centralized heating systems (vertical distribution):

1. Centralized old heating systems do not usually have any local (flat) temperature
controller.
2. Users pay on the basis of the flat area, not based on measurement of heating energy
absorption.
3. Flat closer to the common heater are overheated and flat far from the heater are too
cold
4. Centralized old heating systems are usually semi-automated or completely manually
controlled, therefore this create troubles to the users and missing of comfort.
5. Remote control capabilities and other sophisticated control specifications that are
highly requested nowadays like remote control and operation scheduling.

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

Centralized heating system improvement:

1. Local control system could be used to control the temperature in rooms by adjusting
an electronic valve according to the desired temperature.
2. Payment system should be based on the heating energy consumption for each flat
and its conditions like its location.
3. Electronic valves that have the ability to be controlled through a microcontroller
should replace manual valves.
4. The new system is able to diagnose a possible fault in the system

5. The new system includes a remote control and keypad to control the system.

Main ideas description:

Local Control
System

Definition

Original problem

Solution

This system is made principally of a

microcontroller board used for controlling
the temperature in rooms, computing the
heating energy consumption, acquiring
the measurements related to each radiator.
The radiators in old heating systems are
controlled manually, so the user has to
adjust the valve opening amount using a
mechanical valves that are standard in all
the flat. The temperature scale is usually
designed to give many levels of valves
opening without knowing each level
corresponds to what temperature. If we
have a high building, then the heating
water temperature in the last floor is not
the same as in the first floor for example,
this create some problems for the user to
know how much he/she has to open the
valve in order to provide an adequate
temperature of interest.
The main objective of having an
autonomous controller for each flat is to
control the electronic valves installed on

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Measurement
System

Definition

Original problem

Solution

Team A

the radiators in the flat basing on desired

temperature and the actual room
temperature as a feedback to the
controller.
Therefore in the high floor flats, the
controller should open the valves more
than in lower floor flats in order to reach
the desired temperature. This is because
the hot water temperature in the first case
is usually lower than in the second case, so
it will be necessary to allow to more
amount of hot water to flow through the
radiator.
The system is composed from a set of
temperature installed directly on the
radiators and liquid fluid sensors
compacted in the electronic valves.
Another set of temperature sensors are
required to measure the temperature of
rooms that are used to provide the local
controller with the feedback signal to
adjust the valves opening until reaching
the desired temperature.
The old heating system does not have any
measure any physical quantity related to
the energy, specially the temperature of
flowing hot water through the radiator, so
usually the payment system is based on
dividing the total consumption of heating
energy by the number of flats even if some
of the flats did not consume anything or
consumed less than the others, the should
pay the same amount of money. In
addition, it does not take into account the
fact that the heating water reaches the
high floor flat colder because of height and
absorption of the heating energy in lower
floor flats as well as the distance from the
central heater has a role in this variation of
the heat water temperature.
The sensors installed on the radiator
provides information to the control system
about the actual temperature of the hot
water and its flow rate, so the processing
system compute the amount of energy
consumption for each radiator in

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Remote Control

Definition

Team A

proportional to the ratio of the heat water

temperature to its flow rate.
Instead the second sensor set solve the
problem of tuning the valve opening by
feedbacking the actual temperature in the
room to the controller. This set is actually
very important to maintain the
temperature at the level of interest.
Remote control devices are mainly made
of a transmitter and a receiver.

Original problem Since the old heating system does not have

Solution

Communication
System

Definition

a local control capability, therefore this

could be a big problem for disable or old
people in which they should adjust the
valve manually. Another important issue
that must of the parents looking forward
is to have a remote control possibility to
protect their kids from radiators heat. In
additional to what already mentioned, a
remote control option is highly requested
nowadays in the market due to comfort
needs by the clients.
In case of local remote control, the
communication between the transmitting
and receiving circuits is performed via IR
(infrared), instead in case of external
remote control via mobile phone the
connection method is more complex.
The communication system in general
consists of a set of nodes connected by
links or edges. Communication
networking system suggested in this
project is from Hub Network type. The
hubs in this network are the central and
local controllers. Other nodes in the
network are the sensors distributed over
the system as well as actuators (valves)
that are mono-directionally connected to
the hubs. Remote control devices can been
seen as nodes bi-directionally connected to
the hubs. The links or communication
medium in this network depends on the
pair of nodes linked to each other.
however, the communication medium is
mainly based either on IR or wireless.

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

Original problem In the old heating system, components do

Solution

not have the capability to communicate

among each other or in more developed
systems, all the components are connected
directly to the central control unit. This
type of networks is usually very slow
since the control unit should process all
the information coming from other
system elements and then send the
appropriate response to each one. Another
important problem is the communication
through cables. This actually makes the
linking system more complicated and
undesired by the users because of its bad
appearance as well as its high number of
problems.
Communication problems could be solved
by using wireless and IR networks
constructed by Hub architecture. This type
of networking provides us with a noncentrality control over network. Here each
hub has the ability to work as a master
over its slaves. Nodes related to a certain
hub exchange information with their
master, and then the master is authorized
to make any decision without referring to
the central master hub. However, hubs can
also communicate among each other at a
high level. In other words, each hub plays
the role of a master and governs its related
nodes. The central master hub receives
high level communications only from
other hubs like messages about control
subsystems (hubs) and has a domination
over all the network though the hubs.
Another advantage of the wireless and IR
networks is the remote control capabilities
as well as saving space without any need
to add cable that increase systems faults in
addition to its bad appearance.

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

CHAPTER 3
Mission Scenarios / Phases

heater

diagonastic stage

alarm

main valve

to subsystem

pump

central
microcontroller

diagonastic stage

local
microcontroller

sensors

electronic valves

rediator

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

CHAPTER 4
Life Circle
The life cycle of an embedded system varies dramatically, from processors embedded in
disposable consumer goods to applications requiring maintenance and support for decades.
Designing an embedded system often requires taking into account the complete product life
cycle, from initial product concept, through its operational period, and into replacement with
newer equipment. While the design phase is covered by other topics, areas of specific
concern to a life cycle perspective are: an accurate life cycle economic model to guide
engineering trade-offs, taking into account requirements for logistics and support over the
product operational period, and issues specific to refurbishing/retiring/discarding the
system at end-of-life. While the term "life cycle" has different meanings to different technical
communities, the central idea is to expand the traditional engineering emphasis on the
"design cycle" to encompass optimizing utility, profits, and tradeoffs across the entire
lifetime of the embedded system being designed.

requirements from the

clients
design step for the
additional part (concept
development)

retirement/ disposal

upgrades

manufacturing process
design for the additional
part

system usage

production for the

additional part

test the system ( if it is ok

activate the system)

install the system

Configration

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

CHAPTER 5
Problems Domain for Each Phase
Interaction
1-User and our device
2-Heating energy exchange between the surrounding medium and upper, lower flats also
and with other rooms from the same flat
3- Heating energy exchange between the surrounding medium and the environment
outside the flat
4- -Heating energy exchange between the surrounding medium with other rooms inside the
same flat

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

CHAPTER 6
The Use Cases of Each Life Circle Phase
1-tracking the desired temperature
Power on form microcontroller extended
Electronics valve included
Sensors included
Central and local micro controller included
Central and local micro controller included
Pump include
Heater include

2- alarm system for some problems

Power on for microcontroller extended
Central micro controller included
sensor included

3- measuring the heating energy bills for every flat

Sensors included
Memory included
Central microcontroller included
Communication system included

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

CHAPTER 7
Operations and Activities

USER

KEYPAD

LOCAL
CONTROLER

SENSORS

REMOTE
CONTROL

COMUNICATI
ON SYSTEM

ACTUATORS

CENTRAL
CONTROLER

LCD

(EL. VALVES)

DIAGNOSTIK
SYSTEM

PROVIDER
STORE
DEVICE

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

CHAPTER 8
Functional , Performance and Constraint Requirements
a- central Microcontroller :
functions:
the system must record the data from every flat
the system has the ability discover some problems if it is happened
the system has the ability to calculate the heating energy bills for every flat
constrains:
number of digital inputs
number of digital outputs
number of analogue inputs
the ability to connect it to LCD
the ability to connect it to keypad
the ability to connect it to memory
wireless communication port
b- local Microcontroller :functions:
-the main function of the subsystem to control the opening of the electrical valve
basing on the temperature and the flux water measurements
-the subsystem must display the reading of measurements in addition to heat energy
Consumption.
-The subsystem has the ability to scheduling it is functions according to the user
request,
- the subsystem shall estimate the temperature of flat.
constrains:
wireless communication port
number of analogue outputs
number of analogue inputs
the ability to connect it to LCD
the ability to connect it to remote control
the level source for the microcontroller
c- electronic valve:function:-to open and close the valve with relative to the input signal.
-measure flow rate
Constraint
- the size for this sensor

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

the ability to communicate by using wireless technique

the ability to work by using battery
system should be functionally and structurally robust with respect to high
temperatures.
d- Temperature Sensor
e- functions:
measure flow rate
Constraint
The sensor is suitable to medium.
-

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

CHAPTER 9
System Functional Possible Architectures and System / Subsystem
Interfaces

Cental
controller

Central System

Local controller
1

Subsystems
Workspace

Sensors

comunication
subsystem

Memory

local controller
2

local controller
N

Actuators

User Interface

Processing
system

Display

Keypad

remote control

power
subsystem

Processor

battary

diagonastic
subsystem

electrical
source

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

System and subsystems vs. Functions

Temperatur
e control
Central control unit
Local controller
Temperature sensor
Flow rate sensor
Diagnostic subsystem
Communication subsystem
Remote control device
Electronic valve
LCD
Storage device
Keypad

x
x

x
x
x

Scheduling

Computation
of heat energy
consumption

Fault
detection

x
x
x
x
x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

CHAPTER 10
System Architecture Trade-OFFs
Data Acquisition: two possible methodologies of data acquisition by the provider could be
applied to the system. However, the heat energy consumption data are stored for each
radiator in the main processing unit database and can be combined and summed for each set
of radiators representing a certain flat:
-

Methods I: in this method, the data file can be collected directly by company
employer via USB.
Method II: in this method, a copy of the data file can be sent directly to the
provider via an internet connection.

However, the method II is better and more practically efficient.

Calculation of heat energy consumption: as we discussed in the project, the payment

system is based in principal on the measurements of hot water temperature and its flow rate.
Here we would like to propose two different methods as the following:
-

Method I: in this case, a couple of flow rate and temperature sensors should be
installed on each radiator. This can be highly efficient but more costly. On the
other hand, following this method could complicate the system more due to the
high number of required sensors installed on the radiators over the heating
distribution circuits.

Method II: a reduced configuration of the measurement sensors net is proposed in

this method in which it will be enough to install only one couple of flow rate and
temperature sensors at the input and only one temperature sensor at the output of
each heating distribution circuit. The total energy can be calculated by the
formula:

Since that the total heat energy is distributed over all the radiators installed on the
given circuit, therefore we can write the following:

Let n is the number of the radiators installed on a given circuit and i is a given
radiator. Therefore the energy for each radiator is at max load.

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Digital Control Technologies

System Design Engineering Perspective
Work Project

Team A

The max energy for each radiator is given by:

are coefficients calculated by one of estimation methods like Kalman filter

basing.
Now suppose that the controller opens the electronic valve on a certain angle over
360 degrees that stand for the full load, the percentage of the valve opening for a
given radiator can be multiplied by the max energy to calculate the consumed
energy over this radiator. This can be performed directly by multiplying the
controller output voltage ratio to the max voltage by the max energy for a specific
radiator.

Over the time, we can compute the energy consumption per second for each
radiator.
However, the method II is less precise than the method I but on the other hand, it
is less expensive and simpler at the level of complexity of the system

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