Physical Model for the Simulation of an Air Handling Unit Employed in an Automotive Production Process: Calibration Procedure and Potential Energy Saving

Luca Viscito, Francesco Pelella, Andrea Rega, Federico Magnea, Gerardo Maria Mauro, Alessandro Zanella, Alfonso William Mauro () and Nicola Bianco
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Luca Viscito: Department of Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Napoli—Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Francesco Pelella: Department of Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Napoli—Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Andrea Rega: Department of Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Napoli—Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Federico Magnea: Centro Ricerche Fiat, Str. Torino, 50, 10043 Orbassano, Italy
Gerardo Maria Mauro: Department of Architecture, Università degli Studi di Napoli — Federico II, Via Forno Vecchio 36, 80134 Naples, Italy
Alessandro Zanella: Centro Ricerche Fiat, Str. Torino, 50, 10043 Orbassano, Italy
Alfonso William Mauro: Department of Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Napoli—Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Nicola Bianco: Department of Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Napoli—Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-25

Abstract: A meticulous thermo-hygrometric control is essential for various industrial production processes, particularly those involving the painting phases of body-in-white, in which the air temperature and relative humidity in production boots must be limited in strict intervals to ensure the high quality of the final product. However, traditional proportional integrative derivative (PID) controllers may result in non-optimal control strategies, leading to energy wastage due to response delays and unnecessary superheatings. In this regard, predictive models designed for control can significantly aid in achieving all the targets set by the European Union. This paper focuses on the development of a predictive model for the energy consumption of an air handling unit (AHU) used in the paint-shop area of an automotive production process. The model, developed in MATLAB 2024b, is based on mass and energy balances within each component, and phenomenological equations for heat exchangers. It enables the evaluation of thermal powers and water mass flow rates required to process an inlet air flow rate to achieve a target condition for the temperature and relative humidity. The model was calibrated and validated using experimental data of a real case study of an automotive production process, obtaining mean errors of 16% and 31% for the hot and cold heat exchangers, respectively, in predicting the water mass flow rate. Additionally, a control logic based on six regulation thermo-hygrometric zones was developed, which depended on the external conditions of temperature and relative humidity. Finally, as the main outcome, several examples are provided to demonstrate both the applicability of the developed model and its potential in optimizing energy consumption, achieving energy savings of up to 46% compared to the actual baseline control strategy, and external boundary conditions, identifying an optimal trade-off between energy saving and operation feasibility.

Keywords: model predictive control; air handling unit; automotive industrial process; energy optimization; thermodynamic modeling; air conditioning (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: 2025
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