Building Temperature Control for Flexible Power Scheduling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature control systems for buildings lack temporal flexibility in power consumption, which is crucial for integrating renewable energy sources and stabilizing the electricity grid.
Innovation Solution
A method that utilizes a thermal model to predict zone-specific temperature profiles and optimizes power consumption based on external incentives, allowing for temporal flexibility by optimizing the operation of multiple temperature control devices through an objective function.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If local thermostats control each radiator independently, then zone-specific temperature profiles are achieved, but response to external power consumption incentives is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines independent zone control with centralized incentive response by having the central controller aggregate temperature data from all zones and external incentives, then generate coordinated control signals that satisfy both zone-specific temperature requirements and system-level power consumption optimization goals.
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature control devices are designed with multi-functionality, capable of operating both as independent local thermostats for zone-specific control and as coordinated units responding to external incentives through the central controller, thereby serving multiple functions within a single system architecture.
2Ease of operation
If electric direct heating units are used for each zone, then ease of separate temperature control is improved, but temporal flexibility of power consumption deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges independent zone operation with centralized coordination by having each electric direct heating unit maintain its ability for separate temperature control while being coordinated by a central controller that optimizes overall power consumption timing in response to external incentives, achieving both ease of operation and temporal flexibility.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A method for operating a temperature control system (5) for a building (1) is specified, wherein the temperature control system (1) comprises a plurality of independently controllable temperature control devices (11, 21), the method comprising the following steps: a) providing a thermal model (M) of the building (1), wherein the building (1) is divided in the model (M) into a plurality of zones (10, 20), each of which is assigned at least one temperature control device (11, 21), wherein the thermal model (M) is suitable for predicting a time-dependent room temperature profile for the respective zone (10, 20) as a function of a time-dependent operating parameter set (P) of the temperature control system (5), wherein the building parts belonging to the respective zone (10, 20) are each represented in the thermal model (M) by at least one separate thermal mass (m) with a heat capacity (Cm),b) providing a target function (Z) for an optimization method, wherein the target function (Z) contains at least one optimization criterion (c2) which depends directly or indirectly on the temporal profiles of power consumption of the temperature control devices (11, 21), c) extremalizing the target function (Z) on the basis of computer-aided predicted values based on the thermal model (M), thereby obtaining an optimized time-dependent operating parameter set (P), and d) operating the temperature control devices (11, 21) of the temperature control system (5) according to the optimized time-dependent operating parameter set (P).