UK - Crocs go wild for Priva controllers
Everything in the new Crocodile Swamp at Paignton Zoo is just how the six crocodiles, four boa constrictors, nine pythons, assorted exotic fish, and numerous turtles like it thanks to the efforts of Priva Building Intelligence, Ecotech UK Ltd, Hoare Lea, and their client, Paignton Zoo Environmental Park.
Crocodile Swamp was officially opened in early May this year. The zoo’s press officer, Philip Knowling, said: “We planned the opening to coincide with the bank holiday and attracted some 12,000 visitors during the three-day weekend.” Paignton Zoo was established in 1923 by Herbert Whitley, an eccentric millionaire. Today, the 80-acre site, together with Living Coasts and Newquay Zoo, is managed by the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which is dedicated to conservation and education. “Crocodile Swamp evolved from the fact that the zoo already cared for two Cuban crocodiles, one of which was confiscated from a Russian sailor by Customs when his ship docked at Liverpool; he had been keeping it in his cabin as a pet,” stated Philip Knowling. “These have been joined by another Cuban, two Nile and a saltwater crocodile. The Cuban crocodiles are particularly important as they are classified as an endangered species and are the only crocodiles of their type in the UK.”
Duncan Grant, Technical Manager of Ecotech, worked closely with the project consultants, Hoare Lea, and zoo staff. “Managing a wildlife environment is much more demanding than, say, an office,” said Duncan Grant. “If staff are uncomfortable they can complain to the facilities manager, whereas for animals a poor environment can not only be uncomfortable but can directly affect their health.”
The Crocs’ BMS
At the Crocodile Swamp, a Priva Compri HX8E with additional I/O modules has been installed in the plant room’s main control panel, manufactured by Ecotech. The Priva controller manages three specific areas: all plant and equipment in the plant room including a biomass woodchip boiler; temperature and humidity levels in the swamp, roof and side vents plus sun blinds and local infra-red heaters; and the power sockets to the swamp’s interactive exhibitions. “Temperature is maintained at 27 degrees celsius but we also supplied an option for night setback of 25 degrees celsius in order to conserve energy. Pond temperature is kept at 25 degrees celsius with the swamp humidity between 75 - 80% RH,” explained Duncan Grant. “The humidity system, also installed by Ecotech, uses a high pressure pump and distribution system that forces water through very fine nozzles at 110 bar, at which point it atomizes into fog. As you can imagine, the thirty second bursts of fog are proving to be particularly atmospheric. The infra-red heaters, complete with their own sensor, provide a controlled ‘hot spot’ for the snakes.”
The swamp building itself is reminiscent of a greenhouse having large glazed areas and was constructed by Ecotech’s sister company, Cambridge Glasshouse Company. The sun blinds fitted to the roof and side of the building are activated in accordance with preset light levels, thereby reducing solar gain to the space. In the first instance, as the temperature in the swamp rises, the roof vents open, followed by the side vents if necessary. If these actions are not sufficient to maintain temperature, the sun blinds are then closed. During the night, however, the role of the blinds is reversed and used as thermal energy screens: when the outside temperature drops below a preset value the Priva controller closes the blinds in order to keep the heat in. The reduced energy consumption this achieves, together with the biomass boiler and the close control afforded by the Priva controllers, ensures maximum energy efficiency.
While discussing the building control system with the consultants and the zoo’s staff, it became evident that Ecotech could provide added value by incorporating control of the swamp’s interactive exhibits and monitor alarm signals from other specialist equipment. “Specialist stage lighting together with DVD and interactive displays were going to be manually switched each morning and evening by the staff. I pointed out that these could be better managed by the Priva controller, releasing staff to concentrate on their primary responsibility, taking care of the wildlife,” explained Duncan Grant. Other equipment, such as the rainwater harvesting system and the crocodile pool filtration system, each have alarm outputs. These are monitored by the Priva system allowing technical staff to see a complete overview of how plant is performing from just one PC screen.
Ecotech has supplied two Priva touchscreens. One has been installed in the plant room for use by technical operators, with a dedicated keepers’ touchscreen at the entrance of The Swamp. The keepers’ touchscreen has been programmed to allow non-technical staff access to information and control specific to their needs, such as checking temperature and humidity status. Keepers can also manually override the controlled items within the exhibit. “The Priva touchscreens are very innovative and are unique in the BMS world. Easy to use menus, accessed either by a touch of the finger or a stylus, makes buttons a thing of the past,” said Duncan Grant.
Meanwhile, in the maintenance office, a PC running Priva TC Vision and TC History provides staff with complete system data and operational control in graphical format, plus valuable figures and logs relating to plant equipment runtimes, electrical consumption and water usage.
Of course, the inhabitants of Crocodile Swamp are oblivious to the intelligent control being applied to their habitat, they are just happy with the fact that conditions are as comfortable as they would expect in the wild.
