Integrated HVAC Control for Airside-Waterside Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing HVAC systems optimize airside and waterside systems separately, leading to suboptimal performance due to lack of integration, as the airside system is unaware of the energy storage/generation capabilities of the waterside system, making it difficult to optimize both systems without increasing complexity.
Innovation Solution
An integrated airside/waterside optimization process is performed by an HVAC controller that simultaneously determines control outputs for both systems, optimizing a predictive cost model that predicts resource consumption while considering temperature constraints, using a performance curve to relate thermal energy production to resource consumption, and adjusting inputs to minimize costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If airside and waterside optimization are performed separately using a cascaded approach, then the optimization process is simpler to implement, but the overall system performance becomes suboptimal because the airside system is unaware of the energy storage/generation capabilities of the waterside system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the previously separate airside and waterside optimization processes into a single integrated optimization framework. The controller simultaneously optimizes both systems by formulating a unified objective function that considers airside comfort constraints and waterside energy costs, allowing the airside system to be aware of and coordinate with the waterside energy storage and generation capabilities, thereby achieving superior overall system performance without excessive complexity
2Productivity
If an integrated airside/waterside optimization process is performed simultaneously, then optimal behavior of both systems is achieved and resource consumption is reduced, but the optimization problem complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the complex nonlinear optimization problem into a more tractable form by changing parameters: it formulates the problem with a quadratic objective function subject to linear constraints, which can be solved efficiently using standard quadratic programming techniques. The airside comfort constraints are expressed as linear inequalities on temperature and humidity variables, while the waterside energy models are linearized or discretized to maintain computational tractability, thus achieving optimal resource consumption without prohibitive computational complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A building heating, ventilating, or air conditioning (HVAC) system includes waterside HVAC equipment configured to generate a heated or chilled fluid and airside HVAC equipment configured to use the heated or chilled fluid to heat or cool a supply airflow provided to a building. A controller for the HVAC system includes one or more processing circuits configured to perform an integrated airside/waterside control process to determine control outputs for both the waterside HVAC equipment and the airside HVAC equipment simultaneously such that the control outputs for the airside HVAC equipment are based on the control outputs for the waterside HVAC equipment and vice versa. The controller is configured to operate the waterside HVAC equipment and the airside HVAC equipment to provide heating or cooling to the building using the control outputs.