LB-07-035 -- Field Testing of a Supervisory Optimal Controller for an Air-Conditioning System PDF

To address the growing demand for energy saving in building operation, an advanced control system for air- conditioning systems was developed and evaluated. This control system incorporates physical models of each component together with optimization engine software that enables it to calculate the optimal settings of five variables (chilled-water temperature and flow rate, condenser water temperature and flow rate, and supply air temperature) according to the current cooling (or heating) load. These setpoints are calculated to minimize the total energy consumption of the whole air-conditioning system using the optimization engine software. This paper presents an overview of the control system and the results of evaluating data obtained by applying the system to an existing building. Compared with ordinary manual operation, the system achieved energy savings of 24%.

Units: Dual