Environmental Sensors in Building Automation (Webinar)

In Environmental Sensors in Building Automation, you'll learn ...

• The physical principles governing temperature and humidity measurement in building automation systems
• The thermodynamic interactions between environmental conditions and sensor performance
• The environmental and installation factors that influence measurement accuracy and long-term reliability
• How to evaluate, test, and troubleshoot temperature and humidity sensors under field conditions

Overview

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This webinar will introduce students to the application of temperature and humidity sensor devices which are commonly used in buildings to monitor and control parameters of the environment.

Sensor devices, once installed at the customer site, often show data outside the specified accuracy. The mounting location and the way of mounting the sensor devices have a profound impact on the accuracy of the temperature and humidity data which often leads to a misconception of sensor performance.

The webinar will provide a fundamental review of sensor operations in monitoring the environment. The performance impacts addressed are not limited to building applications but to any other application which employs temperature and humidity measurement.

The student will learn the essential relationships of the thermodynamic influences of the environment on sensor performance and the fundamental dependency of relative humidity on temperature changes. A deeper understanding of the interaction of the sensors with the environment will enable the student to successfully troubleshoot and analyze installations in the field. In summary the student will gain a deeper understanding of sensor operations for environmental monitoring and control. Special attention will be given to the intricacies in humidity sensing.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

• The physics of temperature and humidity
• Absolute and relative humidity and their dependence on temperature
• The fundamental thermodynamic relationships
• The challenges of humidity sensing due to fundamental sensor characteristics
• Environmental impact after installation
• Thermodynamic equilibrium vs. steady state situations
• Modeling of heat flow between sensors and environment
• Contamination, condensation, and air flow effects on sensors
• Troubleshooting sensors in the field for accuracy
• Error analysis in the field using test equipment and potential measures to improve or restore accuracy performance