Optimized On-Off Controller For Energy Saving In A Household Refrigerator

The domestic refrigerator is responsible for 30% of the average household electricity consumption in Brazil, and the power costs regarding a single refrigerator represents up to 5% of the Brazilian minimum wage. The capacity control method employed in most of these systems consists of a thermostat used to turn on and off the compressor to maintain the temperature between the desired levels. This method of capacity control is responsible for efficiency losses as a result of the start-up and shut-down transients. The duration and the number of on/off cycles influence directly the temperature profile inside the refrigerator and the system energetic efficiency. By adjusting the thermostat, the maximum and minimum temperature achieved during the system operation are changed, and also the range between them. Having all that in mind, the aim of this study is to optimize the temperature range in a domestic refrigerator in order to make power consumption as low as possible while maintaining a given maximum temperature that cannot be exceeded in order to keep the food properly preserved. The refrigerator was modeled as a first order plus time delay system. A hysteretic relay test was used to estimate the system parameters. The system model was employed to develop mathematical relations to set the temperature amplitude inside the refrigerator, given a maximum temperature, in order to minimize the total energy consumption. Preliminary results indicated that, for the refrigerator studied in this work, the optimal amplitude should be set at approximately 7 °C, when the refrigerator is half loaded. This amplitude could save up to 15% of energy when compared to 2 °C amplitude or 35% when compared to 1 °C amplitude. Further tests will be conducted on the refrigerator to identify the system, as well as to measure the power consumption when different temperature ranges are set.

HVAC SYSTEM REMOTE MONITORING AND DIAGNOSIS OF REFRIGERANT LINE OBSTRUCTION

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system of a building includes a refrigerant loop. A monitoring system for the HVAC system includes a monitoring device installed at the building. The monitoring device is configured to measure a first temperature of refrigerant in a refrigerant line located between a filter - drier of the refrigerant loop and an expansion valve of the refrigerant loop. The monitoring system includes a monitoring server, located remotely from the building. The monitoring server is con figured to receive the first temperature and, in response to the first temperature being less than a threshold, generate a refrigerant line restriction advisory. The monitoring server is configured to, in response to the refrigerant line restriction advisory, selectively generate an alert for transmission to at least one of a customer and an HVAC contractor

Integrating Autonomous Load Controllers in Power Systems

Elektriske energisystemer undergår radikale forandringer, fordi et presserende behov for at nedsætte drivhusgasudledningen forudsætter en mere effektiv udnyttelse af energiressourcerne og en overgang til mere vedvarende energi. Nye vedvarende energikilder som vind og sol har et stort potentiale, men er karakteriseret ved en fluktuerende produktion, som kun delvist er forudsigelig. Styring af forbrug er allerede brugt i begrænset omfang for at forbedre leveringssikkerhed og effektiviteten af energisystemet. I energisystemer med en høj andel fluktuerende vedvarende energikilder kan intelligent styring af forbruget spille en stor rolle i balanceringen af systemet. Det store antal og den geografiske spredning af forbruget gør koordinering af forbrugets respons en udfordring. Nye kommunikationsteknologier har reduceret omkostningerne til at forbinde apparater og lover et ”Internet of Things" (”Tingenes internet") i fremtiden, hvor apparater er fuldt forbundet til en globalt datanetværk. Strenge realtids- og pålidelighedskrav til elsystemet har motiveret forskning i nye styrings arkitekturer velegnet til sådan et stort og komplekst system. Denne afhandling har fokus på et mellemstadie i evolutionen fra dagens passive belastninger mod et ”Internet of Things". Mere præcist udgøres dette mellemstadie af autonome apparater med sensorer, aktautorer, og software til at kontrollere lokale processer, men uden et digital kommunikationsinterface. Dearkitekturer der er undersøgt i denne afhandling er ret nye, så fokus ligger på gennemførlighed og system modelleringer. Tidligere forskning har foreslået brug af frekvensfølsomme autonome belastninger til at levere primær frekvensreserve. Denne forudgående forskning har fokuseret på effekten af autonome belastninger på et højt abstraktionsniveau i store energisystemer. Analyser på dette høj niveau analyser ignorerer en væsentlig forskel mellem konventionel frekvensereserve og frekvensfølsom belastning, nemlig effekten af reduceret belastningsmangfoldighed på frekvensresponsen. For at adressere denne mangel udførte man tidsdomænemodeller af frekvensfølsomme belastninger for at tage højde for den variation i frekvens responsen, som stammer fra variationen i belastningerne. Eksperimenter og analyser har afsløret potentielle ulemper ved høj andel af frekvensfølsom belastning: tidsafhængigheder i processer, som begrænser frekvensresponsen og overskridelse af spændingskrav i elforsyningsnettet. For at håndtere disse ulemper er to strategier fremlagt, som hver for sig tilføjer værdifulde tjenester udover at de forhindrer de førnævnte problemer. Den første strategi for at håndtere tidsafhængigheder er at drive et synkront netområde på ikke-nominelle frekvenser i diskrete domæner. Det begrænser uønsket skift af tilstand i de frekvensfølsomme belastninger og fungerer som direkte kontrol af den pågældende belastning. Store synkrone maskiner kan kun langsomt ændre frekvensens setpunkt, hvilket begrænser takten, hvorved kontrol kommandoer kan blive sendt. Derimod har energikilder, der er forbundet igennem effektelektronik, mulighed for at ændre frekvenssetpunkt meget hurtigt og kan skabe en strøm af kommandoer som kan tolkes med eksisterende kommunikations protokoller. Den anden strategi er at forene en spændingsfølsom styring med en frekvensfølsom styring, og på den måde direkte undgå uønskede spændinger. Denne spændingsfølsomme styring kan også blive brugt alene, uden den frekvensfølsomme del, for at stabilisere spænding og reducere behovet for netforstærkninger alle steder hvor lavere spænding falder sammen med højere forbrug. En frekvensfølsom styring er udviklet, implementeret, og testet under realistiske forhold. Resultaterne viste en stor potentiel ressource, i nogen tilfælde større end gennemsnittet af effektforbruget. Nøjagtigheden af belastningsmodeller var verificeret ved hjælp af måledata. En spændingsfølsom styring var udviklet, implementeret og testet under laboratorieforhold, og dens opførsel var simuleret i repræsentative energisystemer. Problemerne forårsaget af udbredt anvendelse af frekvensfølsomme belastninger var simuleret, og afværgelsesstrategier anvendt. For at underbygge gennemførligheden af det fremlagte frekvensbaserede belastningskontrolsystem er analyser af eksisterende energisystemer blevet gennemført med henvisninger til tekniske standarder, specifikationer og endeligt data indsamlet fra systemer i drift. Resultaterne viser, at frekvens- og spændingsfølsomme autonome belastninger er leveringsdygtige alternativer til konventionel frekvens- og spændingsregulerende teknikker. Når de bruges sammen, komplementerer de hinanden. I systemer, hvor operatøren har mulighed for at regulere frekvensen centralt, kan de direkte kontrollere de ellers autonome frekvensfølsomme apparater. Derudover, i systemer, hvor frekvens reguleringsressourcer tillader hurtigt skift af frekvenssetpunkt, for eksempel micro-grids, kan energikilder blive brugt som sender i et lavhastigheds-envejs- kommunikationssystem.Electric energy systems stand on the brink of radical change as the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions pushes more efficient utilization of energy resources and the adoption of renewable energy sources. New renewable sources such as wind and solar have a large potential, but they are characterized by variable generation that is only partly predictable. Managing loads is already used in limited circumstances to improve security and efficiency of the power system. In power systems with a large penetration of variable generation, load management has large role to play in adapting consumption to the fluctuating production. The large number and geographic dispersion of loads make coordinating their behavior challenging. New telecommunication technology has reduced the cost of linking devices, promising a future "Internet of Things" where loads are fully networked. Strict real-time constraints and reliability constraints in power systems are motivating research into new control architectures suitable for such a large and complex system. The focus of this thesis is on an intermediate stage of evolution between today's largely passive loads and a future "Internet of Things". Specifically, this intermediate stage is autonomous devices with sensors, actuators, and software to control local processes but without digital communications interfaces. The architectures explored in this thesis are newly emergent, so the focus is on feasibility and system modeling. Earlier research has proposed using autonomous load controllers to provide primary frequency reserves. This previous research has mainly focused on the effect of autonomous loads at a high level of abstraction, in large-scale power systems. High-level analysis ignores a significant difference between conventional frequency reserves and frequency-sensitive loads, namely the effects of reduced load diversity on the frequency response. To address this shortfall, time-domain models of the frequency-sensitive loads were constructed that include the variation of frequency response resulting from changes in load diversity. Experiments and analysis have revealed potential drawbacks of high penetrations of autonomous frequency-sensitive loads: time constraints on the underlying processes which reduce the frequency response, and violations of voltage constraints in the distribution systems arising from synchronized loads. Addressing these drawbacks, two mitigation strategies are proposed, each of which add valuable services in addition to preventing the above mentioned problems. The first strategy to address time constraints is to operate a synchronous power system at off-nominal frequencies in discrete domains, thus limiting unintended state changes of frequency-sensitive loads. The effect of operating in discrete frequency domains is to dispatch frequency-sensitive loads. Large synchronous machines can only change their frequency setpoint slowly, greatly limiting the rate of change of dispatch symbols. However, energy sources interfaced with power electronics can change their frequency setpoint very rapidly, creating a stream of symbols that can be decoded with conventional telecommunication protocols. The second strategy is to merge a voltage-sensitive control loop into the frequency-sensitive controller to directly avoid violations of voltage constraints. This voltage-sensitive controller can also operate alone, without the frequency-sensitive controller, to provide voltage regulation service and increase load diversity in any distribution network where lower voltage level corresponds to higher load.The frequency-sensitive load controller has been designed, implemented, and tested in real-life settings. Its performance demonstrated a large potential resource, in some cases greater than the average power consumption. The accuracy of load models was validated by comparison with field data. A voltage-sensitive controller was designed, implemented in an embedded system, and tested in laboratory settings. The voltage-sensitive controller was also implemented in a software simulation environment and tested in representative distribution systems. The problems anticipated by large-scale deployment of frequency-sensitive loads were simulated, and mitigation strategies were applied. To support the feasibility of the proposed frequency dispatch system, analysis of existing power systems was conducted using existing technical norms, specifications, and data collected from operating power systems. The results shows that frequency-sensitive and voltage-sensitive autonomous load are viable alternatives to conventional frequency and voltage control devices. When used in combination, they complement each other. In systems where the operator has centrally dispatchable resources to regulate frequency, these resources can be used to dispatch otherwise autonomous frequency-sensitive loads. Moreover, where centrally dispatchable frequency regulation resources can rapidly change operating points, such as in a micro-grid, the energy sources can be used as transmitters for a ultra-low-bandwidth uni-directional power line communication system

BUILDING ENVELOPE AND INTERIOR GRADING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

A difference module determines differences between an out door ambient temperature and an indoor temperature, deter mines a first average of the differences, and determines a second average of the differences. A storing module stores a first data point, the first data point including the first average and a first total run time of a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, and stores a second data point, the second data point including the second average and a second total run time of the HVAC system. A fitting module fits a line to the first and second data points. An envelope grading module generates a grade for an exterior envelope of a building based on a first characteristic of the line. An interior grading module generates a grade for an interior of the building based on a second characteristic of the line. A reporting module generates a displayable report for the building including the grade of the exterior envelope and the grade of the interior of the building

BUILDING ENVELOPE AND INTERIOR GRADING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

A difference module determines differences between an outdoor ambient temperature and an indoor temperature, determines a first average of the differences , and determines a second average of the differences. A storing module stores a first data point, the first data point including the first average and a first total run time of a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, and stores a second data point, the second data point including the second average and a second total run time of the HVAC system. A fitting module fits a line to the first and second data points. An envelope grading module generates a grade for an exterior envelope of a building based on a first characteristic of the line. An interior grading module generates a grade for an interior of the building based on a second characteristic of the line. A reporting module generates a displayable report for the building including the grade of the exterior envelope and the grade of the interior of the building

Design and Implementation of Fuzzy Controller for Non-Linear Thermally Insulated MIMO Greenhouse Building Utilizing Weather Conditions and Ground Temperature

The increased demand of electricity and water consumption for cooling and heating processes together with the continuous increase in earth temperature due to greenhouse gases emission urged the utilization of sustainable, affordable and clean energy resources. Globally, the biggest amount of water is consumed for agricultural purposes. Domestically, in Abu Dhabi Emirate, the agriculture sector consumes over 50% of the supplied water. Part of this consumption is due to the evaporative cooling approach that is typically used in cooling greenhouses. This approach utilizes a large amount of water and energy to maintain the greenhouse temperature within the desired range. Ground Heat-Exchanger is an environmentally-friendly solution used for heating or cooling applications. It is based on seasonal temperature difference between the ground and the ambient which varies with depth. As depth of ground increases, the temperature fluctuation decreases because of the soil high thermal inertia and the time lag in temperature fluctuation between the surface and the ground. The aim of this thesis is to design a control system using fuzzy logic controller to study the feasibility of utilizing weather conditions and soil temperature in cooling or heating processes of a special type of greenhouses. The proposed control system takes a decision of either utilizing the outside weather conditions or using the soil temperature. The study is conducted on a thermally insulated greenhouse system equipped with ground-to-air heat exchanger, actuated windows, fans, and sensors and the proposed controller performance is compared to a logical and conventional ON/OFF controllers. Results show the proposed control system is capable of maintaining the greenhouse temperature within the desired range for most of the day hours in winter utilizing only the weather and soil temperatures. However, when the temperature is extremely hot, especially in summer, the ground heat exchanger can be only used for pre-cooling with a capability of reducing the ambient temperature of about 6ºC on average. In such extremely hot periods, an auxiliary cooling unit has to be deployed for further cooling. In addition, results reveal that fuzzy controller consumes less power than the logical and the ON/OFF controller when operating the system actuators

Hybrid modeling and control of mechatronic systems using a piecewise affine dynamics approach

This thesis investigates the topic of modeling and control of PWA systems based on two experimental cases of an electrical and hydraulic nature with varying complexity that were also built, instrumented and evaluated. A full-order model has been created for both systems, including all dominant system dynamics and non-linearities. The unknown parameters and characteristics have been identi ed via an extensive parameter identi cation. In the following, the non-linear characteristics are linearized at several points, resulting in PWA models for each respective setup. Regarding the closed loop control of the generated models and corresponding experimental setups, a linear control structure comprised of integral error, feed-forward and state-feedback control has been used. Additionally, the hydraulic setup has been controlled in an autonomous hybrid position/force control mode, resulting in a switched system with each mode's dynamics being de ned by the previously derived PWA-based model in combination with the control structure and respective mode-dependent controller gains. The autonomous switch between control modes has been de ned by a switching event capable of consistently switching between modes in a deterministic manner despite the noise-a icted measurements. Several methods were used to obtain suitable controller gains, including optimization routines and pole placement. Validation of the system's fast and accurate response was obtained through simulations and experimental evaluation. The controlled system's local stability was proven for regions in state-space associated with operational points by using pole-zero analysis. The stability of the hybrid control approach was proven by using multiple Lyapunov functions for the investigated test scenarios.publishedVersio

MODELING AND CONTROL OF MAGNETOSTRICTIVE ACTUATORS

Most smart actuators exhibit rate-dependant hysteresis when the working frequency is higher than 5Hz. Although the Preisach model has been a very powerful tool to model the static hysteresis, it cannot be directly used to model the dynamic hysteresis. Some researchers have proposed various generalizations of the Preisach operator to model the rate-dependant hysteresis, however, most of them are application-dependant and only valid for low frequency range. In this thesis, a first-order dynamic relay operator is proposed. It is then used to build a novel dynamic Preisach model. It can be used to model general dynamic hysteresis and is valid for a large frequency range. Real experiment data of magnetostrictive actuator is used to test the proposed model. Experiments have shown that the proposed model can predict all the static major and minor loops very well and at the same time give an accurate prediction for the dynamic hysteresis loops. The controller design using the proposed model is also studied. An inversion algorithm is developed and a PID controller with inverse hysteresis compensation is proposed and tested through simulations. The results show that the PID controller with inverse compensation is good at regulating control; its tracking performance is really limited (average error is 10 micron), especially for high frequency signals. Hence, a simplified predictive control scheme is developed to improve the tracking performance. It is proved through experiments that the proposed predictive controller can reduce the average tracking error to 2 micron while preserve a good regulating performance