Variable air volume modeling for an hvac system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing HVAC systems face inefficiencies due to poor design, wear, and complex interactions between air-handling units, which rule-based control methods struggle to optimize, leading to suboptimal operation and lack of error identification.
Innovation Solution
A remote server uses a heuristic model to optimize air-handling unit settings based on measurements like fan speed, pressure, and power input, analyzing data not typically used in rule-based control to predict needs, identify problems, and optimize performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rule-based control is used for air-handling units, then the system is simple to operate, but the system cannot identify improper operation or optimize complex interactions between units
Solution Approach 1:
A cloud-based analytics engine serves as an intermediary between air-handling units and local controllers. The analytics engine receives operational data from multiple units, performs sophisticated analysis to identify improper operation and optimize interactions, then sends control recommendations back to local controllers. This mediator approach enables advanced optimization without increasing local system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional rule-based mechanical control logic with data-driven analytics processing in the cloud. Instead of predefined rules handling complex interactions, machine learning models and analytical algorithms process operational data to dynamically determine optimal control strategies, substituting mechanical control mechanisms with intelligent software-based systems.
2Measurement precision
If more measurements are gathered for analytics, then the analysis accuracy improves, but the data transmission and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and transmits only the most critical operational parameters to the cloud analytics engine, such as fan speed, pressure differential, and temperature measurements. Less critical data is processed locally or not transmitted at all. This selective extraction approach maintains analysis accuracy while minimizing data transmission requirements and associated energy consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for analytics in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is described. Operation of an air-handling unit in an HVAC system is measured, including fan speed, pressure, power input, and flow. The measurements are transmitted to a processor, which analyzes the operation of the air-handling unit. The analysis includes optimizing a heuristic model of air handling in the HVAC system based on a combination of two or more of the fan speed, pressure, power input, or flow, and determining, based on the optimized heuristic model, a diversity from a fan flow set point and a fan designed maximum flow. A display presents an indication of a mismatch of a fan with a space based on the diversity.