Summer Consultants completed a study evaluating the HVAC controls serving Wings A-E of NIST Building 235, an office and laboratory building which also houses a nuclear reactor. The study recommended upgrading all controls, which included pneumatic, digital, and digital/pneumatic hybrids, to Alerton controls, which is the campus standard and already in the building. Work included surveying over 70 systems to document existing control components and researching existing documentation to understand the sequence of operations.
Follow-on work included development of contract documents to replace and upgrade the HVAC system controls in Wings A E. The design process included production of schematics, points lists, sequence of operation and fire protection controls for 74 systems and over 500 control points. Critical control sequences for systems serving the reactor areas were specifically designed to minimize failure scenarios for the safety of building occupants. Cybersecurity controls were also implemented, particularly for the equipment serving the reactor.
The original construction schedule was designed with the intent to maintain building operation and coordinated construction and commissioning within the 10-day reactor shutdowns which occur every 38 days. The controls replacement project was incorporated into an HVAC upgrade replacement project currently being completed by Summer Consultants.