.jpg)
The Situation:
Mount Boucherie, a new ice arena in British Columbia, resulted in substantial cost savings in installation and material compared to traditional gas detection systems. At Mt. Boucherie, gas detectors were required by city and national codes to monitor the emissions of carbon monoxide from the exhaust products of the arena’s ice resurfacer, which is used during hockey games and other events. Honeywell Analytics was awarded the contract to provide its 301W wireless gas detector on the basis of overall value: the 301W offered the lowest installation costs plus a guarantee of reliability and quality.
The Installation:
The 301W integrated with the existing architectural plan of optimal energy efficiency. Green building systems already planned for Multiplex included daylighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures, high efficiency boilers and chillers and variable-speed ventilation. In addition, the arena was constructed with spare use of exposed conduit, so as to enhance the aesthetic appeal. The 301W wireless gas detector was a fit for the build-out; the entire wireless system requires no surface conduit, extra wiring or materials. A series of tests and site evaluations were carried out to determine how many wireless gas detectors it would take to protect the 6000 square foot area around the perimeter of the ice oval. The team led by Jim Fuchs of Honeywell found that six wireless detectors were needed to do the job, a credit to the 301W’s unique mesh networking, which resulted in time and money savings to the customer. The testing, installation and commissioning process was carried out in three to four hours, said Fuchs, whereas a traditional gas detection installation typically would have required several days.
The six 301W detectors were installed at 100-foot intervals, on walls in back of the player’s benches and on massive columns located in the first few rows of seating. The 301W detectors send signals to a single 301C controller mounted on one of the columns near the ceiling. The controller in turn, is wired to the direct digital control (DDC) system. Whenever the 301W detects unsafe levels of carbon monoxide, 301W communication to the 301C is nearly instantaneous; and the 301C activates a relay to the DDC triggering high-speed operation of the outside air ventilation system, opening dampers and bringing freshly conditioned air into the building. The installation team was pleased by how quickly and smoothly the installation went. Network coverage of the sensor environment was absolute, installation was plug-and-play and reliability is high. “With equipment of this kind, you might say that no news is good news—and we don’t have any news to report. The system is checked regularly by maintenance staff and I haven’t heard any bad reports to date,” said project manager Ian Long of Care Systems.
Special Merits of the 301W Gas Detector
The 301W wireless gas detection system at Mt. Boucherie has proven to be an innovative, low-cost, reliable safety system with minimal maintenance requirements. The units are powered by a two-year ‘fit and forget’ battery operation and no calibration is required. Non-interference from WiFi, Bluetooth, cell phones and other wireless devices is assured by the different frequency range and communication protocol used by 301W transmitters. The reliability of 301W can be attributed to its unique mesh networking. The network is ‘self healing’—if one sensor fails, the network automatically reroutes the signal to another sensor. Messages travel from the source (301W) to destination device (301C) by hopping over other devices (301Ws) on the path in between. As long as a 301W detector can sense two network devices within its vicinity, it has a healthy connection to the network. This multihop system design adds another level of security to the gas detection network.
Wireless Savings Add Up
Honeywell Analytics' 301W wireless system at Mt. Boucherie Multiplex has produced a win-win-win outcome. For the contractor, it resulted in an easier, faster installation. For the building owner, it offers the continued assurance of safety compliance, energy efficiency and visual appeal. For arena visitors, it offers enhanced comfort and safety through better indoor air quality. The 301W wireless gas detection system at Mount Boucherie exemplifies the kind of installation, labor and material cost savings and sustainable design features that make today’s wireless gas detection systems a perfect mesh with today’s intelligent building concept. In these respects, the 301W already serves as an excellent example to the community and the building trade.