Decentralized Coordination of Temperature Control in Multiarea Premises

Abstract

With local control of a large number of objects that mutually influence each other, the problem of coordinating local control systems to achieve the best overall result arises. If the structure of the system (the number of control objects and the parameters of interaction) can change frequently, then the process of setting up/training a centralized coordinator will take an unacceptably large part of the action time and require a significant amount of resources. In this work, the use of decentralized coordination is proposed to solve the problem. As a basic task for research on decentralized coordination control of objects that mutually influence each other, stabilizing the comfort temperatures was set in multizone rooms using movable heaters. Providing individual thermal comfort is an important problem. In particular, there are many multiarea premises with conflicting requirements for the comfort of habitats. This problem can be solved with the help of movable heaters and air conditioners. However, the presence of heat flows between areas with different specified parameters makes it difficult to adjust them. The work aims to improve the quality of thermal control in multiarea premises with a dynamic structure for the location of movable heaters. To achieve this goal, we proposed the concept of Movable Smart Heaters (MSH). A group of Movable Smart Heaters that could influence each other and exchange information forms a dynamic system with a changing structure since switching on/off or moving one MSH to another area changes the mutual influence and connections in the system. The criteria for control quality are defined and evaluated. The proposed coordination algorithms make it possible to optimize the operating modes of the system automatically when its structure and/or settings are changed. Simulation of the system is performed with the use of a worked-out modelling library in Scilab. The results of comparing the MSH system’s efficiency show an increase in comfort while reducing energy consumption.