Model Predictive Control of the Hybrid Ventilation for Livestock

Abstract—In this paper, design and simulation results of model predictive control (MPC) strategy for livestock hybrid ventilation systems and associated indoor climate through variable valve openings and exhaust fans, are presented. The design is based on thermal comfort parameters for poultry in barns and a dynamic model describing the nonlinear behavior of ventilation and associated climate, by applying a so-called conceptual multi-zone method and the conservation of energy and mass. The simulation results illustrate the high potential of MPC in dealing with nonlinearities, handling constraints and performing off-set free tracking. The purpose of this paper is to apply MPC taking into account of the random disturbances from animals and weather condition to calculate the optimal ventilation rate and air flow distribution and the prediction of indoor horizontal variation of temperature through an optimum energy approach. I