Air Conditioning Load Balancing Control to Reduce Component Failure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioning systems face increased running costs due to component failures and shortened maintenance cycles caused by imbalanced operating loads between indoor and outdoor air handling units, necessitating costly equipment and inefficient energy consumption comparisons.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioning system with controllers for indoor and outdoor air handling units that dynamically adjust operating capacities based on predefined threshold values or capacity differences to balance loads, reducing the likelihood of high-load failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If COP comparison control is used between indoor and outdoor air handling units, then energy consumption is reduced, but equipment imbalance and high-load failures occur
Solution Approach 1:
The control method dynamically adjusts the operating capacity of indoor and outdoor air handling units based on real-time load conditions. Instead of static COP comparison, the system continuously monitors and balances the operating capacities, allowing units to transition between different operational states (increase/decrease capacity) to maintain equilibrium and prevent high-load failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the operating capacities of both indoor and outdoor units and adjusting their operation accordingly. The controllers exchange information about current load conditions and modify their operation to balance the system, preventing any single unit from operating under excessive load that would lead to failures.
2Device complexity
If simple COP comparison is implemented, then control complexity is reduced, but operating time imbalance occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adjusts operating capacities based on real-time conditions rather than using fixed or simple comparison logic. This dynamic approach balances the operating time between units while maintaining relatively simple control algorithms that can be implemented in standard controllers.
3Productivity
If high-load operation is permitted, then productivity is maintained, but component failure risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system takes preliminary action to prevent high-load failures by continuously monitoring operating capacities and adjusting unit operation before failures can occur. By balancing the load distribution in advance, the system prevents components from entering high-stress conditions that would lead to failures, thereby maintaining both productivity and reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
An air conditioning system of an embodiment includes an indoor air handling unit controller and an outdoor air handling unit controller. The indoor air handling unit controller is configured to: increase an operating capacity of an indoor air handling unit in a case in which an operating capacity of an outdoor air handling unit is greater than or equal to a first threshold value and the operating capacity of the indoor air handling unit is able to be increased; and decrease the operating capacity of the indoor air handling unit in a case in which the operating capacity of the outdoor air handling unit is less than a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value and the operating capacity of the indoor air handling unit is able to be decreased. The outdoor air handling unit controller is configured to: increase the operating capacity of the outdoor air handling unit in a case in which the operating capacity of the indoor air handling unit is greater than or equal to a third threshold value and the operating capacity of the outdoor air handling unit is able to be increased; and decrease the operating capacity of the outdoor air handling unit in a case in which the operating capacity of the indoor air handling unit is less than a fourth threshold value that is lower than the third threshold value and the operating capacity of the outdoor air handling unit is able to be decreased.