A New Model Predictive Control Method for Eliminating Hydraulic Oscillation and Dynamic Hydraulic Imbalance in a Complex Chilled Water System

Yang Yuan, Neng Zhu, Haizhu Zhou and Hai Wang
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Yang Yuan: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Neng Zhu: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Haizhu Zhou: China Academy of Building Research, Beijing 100013, China
Hai Wang: China Academy of Building Research, Beijing 100013, China

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-23

Abstract: To enhance the energy performance of a central air-conditioning system, an effective control method for the chilled water system is always essential. However, it is a real challenge to distribute exact cooling energy to multiple terminal units in different floors via a complex chilled water network. To mitigate hydraulic imbalance in a complex chilled water system, many throttle valves and variable-speed pumps are installed, which are usually regulated by PID-based controllers. Due to the severe hydraulic coupling among the valves and pumps, the hydraulic oscillation phenomena often occur while using those feedback-based controllers. Based on a data-calibrated water distribution model which can accurately predict the hydraulic behaviors of a chilled water system, a new Model Predictive Control (MPC) method is proposed in this study. The proposed method is validated by a real-life chilled water system in a 22-floor hotel. By the proposed method, the valves and pumps can be regulated safely without any hydraulic oscillations. Simultaneously, the hydraulic imbalance among different floors is also eliminated, which can save 23.3% electricity consumption of the pumps.

Keywords: chilled water system; model predictive control; hydraulic oscillation; pipe network; high-rise building (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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