Dynamic optimization of chilled water pump operation to reduce HVAC energy consumption

Wijaya, Timotius Kelvin; Sholahudin,; Alhamid, Muhammad Idrus; Saito, Kiyoshi; Nasruddin, Nurrul Shaqinah

doi:10.1016/j.tsep.2022.101512

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Compatibility and feasibility: Currently many relevant studies on optimal pump control tend to develop complex and complete control logic to maximize the energy saving performance [6,8,9,[11][12][13], this kind of thinking brings (1) more preconditions for deployment (more variables need to be monitored, more offline information/models need to be ready in advance); (2) algorithm complexity means difficulty in maintenance. These disadvantages prevent many novel control methods being applied widely because engineering systems usually cannot provide sufficient conditions as laboratories do.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Table 1 lists several related studies on the optimized control of pumps in building cooling systems. As per Table 1, [6] presented and compared several examples of conventional control logic common in engineering practices, but not energy-efficient (only 4.5-10% of rated pump power could be saved); [8,11] proposed complex pump control methods; and [12,13] belong to the model predictive control (MPC) domain: they depend on accurate system performance models to function.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, Table 1 indicates that current pump optimal control methods suffer from one or more shortcomings: (1) complicated algorithms and control logic that are not user-friendly for control program development and maintenance [8,11]; (2) dependence on predefined system performance models (which take substantial data and labor to establish) for optimal control [12,13]; (3) high requirements on real-time system operation monitoring (i.e., additional variables are required to be monitored, which takes supplementary sensor installation) [8].…”

Section: Targeted Problem and Research Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Active Optimization of Chilled Water Pump Running Number: Engineering Practice Validation

Qiu

Wang³

et al. 2022

Sustainability

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To realize building energy conservation, appropriate operation of building energy systems is necessary. A chilled water pump, an essential component for chilled water transportation in building cooling systems, consumes substantial energy. Hence, its operation should be optimized. Previous studies on optimal pump control mostly focused on pump speed/frequency control, while the control of pump running number is usually too passive to realize energy-saving objectives. Moreover, existing relevant studies have some disadvantages, such as (1) too complex a workflow for maintenance; (2) dependence on accurate system performance models that take substantial data and labor to establish; and (3) high requirements on monitoring and sensors. To tackle those problems, this article proposes a simple, feasible approach to optimize the running number (on/off status) of chilled water pumps for building energy conservation. The proposed method is merely based on similarity/affinity laws and pump performance curves feasible for engineering practices. It has been implemented on a real cooling system in a battery factory. Our results suggest that: (1) based on similarity/affinity laws and pump performance curves, the estimation of potential targeted pump working points is accurate enough for optimal control (the flow rate estimation error is less than 2%, the frequency estimation error is less than 1 Hz); (2) the energy-saving effect of this control method is evident (20% of pump energy is saved by the proposed method compared to the former control logic); (3) the water grid operation condition is maintained well: cooling supply is not sacrificed by the control intervention (compared to the working condition before the intervention, grid pressure difference changed by 1.4%, flow rate changed by 2.6%). Regarding the low preconditions, simple workflow, and acceptable energy-saving performance of the proposed method, it is suitable for energy conservation in building cooling systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Targeted Problem and Research Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Active Optimization of Chilled Water Pump Running Number: Engineering Practice Validation

Qiu

Wang³

et al. 2022

Sustainability

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“…For example, Qiu et al [7], Mollios et al [8], Kong et al [9], Wijaya et al [10], Afram et al [11], and Ji et al [12] completely ignored VFD and motor efficiencies, V.K. Shankar et al [13], Yiqun Pan et al [14], Chilundo et al [15], and R. Saidur et al [16,17] ignored VFD efficiency and utilise a simplified motor efficiency which is treated as a constant, and Viholainen et al [18] and Wang et al [19] treated both VFD and motor efficiencies as constant.…”

Section: Energy Model Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fan efficiency needs to be determined first and, then, applied to separate the drive efficiency from the system efficiency, which can be directly obtained without measuring the fan shaft power. If the fan efficiency is expressed as a function of the ratio of the fan head to the airflow rate squared, as shown in Equation (10), the fan efficiency is independent of the fan speed. Consequently, the fan-efficiency curve can be identified using the performance data at the full design speed (ω = 1) only.…”

Section: Step 1: Fan Head Curve At the Full Design Speedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loose Belt Fault Detection and Virtual Flow Meter Development Using Identified Data-driven Energy Model for Fan Systems

Wang

Tiamiyu

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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An energy model that correlates fan airflow, head, speed, and system power input is essential to detect device faults and optimize control strategies in fan systems. Since the application of variable-frequency drives (VFDs) makes the motor-efficiency data published by manufacturers inapplicable for VFD–motor–fan systems, the fan efficiency and drive (belt–motor–VFD) efficiency must be identified for each individual system to obtain accurate energy models. The objectives of this paper are to identify an energy model of existing VFD–motor–fan systems using available experimental data and demonstrate its applications in loose belt fault detection and virtual airflow meter development for optimal control. First, an approach is developed to identify the fan head, fan efficiency, and drive-efficiency curves using available fan head, speed, and system power input as well as temporarily measured airflow rate without measuring shaft power. Then, the energy model is identified for an existing VFD–motor–fan system. Finally, the identified model is applied to detect the slipped belt faults and develop the virtual airflow meter. The experiment results reveal that the developed approach can effectively obtain the energy model of VFD–motor–fan systems and the model can be applied to effectively detect slipped belt faults and accurately calculate the fan airflow rate.

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Development of a method for predicting the transient behavior of an absorption chiller using artificial intelligence methods

Alcântara

Ochoa

Costa

et al. 2023

Applied Thermal Engineering

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Dynamic optimization of chilled water pump operation to reduce HVAC energy consumption

Cited by 14 publications

References 21 publications

Active Optimization of Chilled Water Pump Running Number: Engineering Practice Validation

Active Optimization of Chilled Water Pump Running Number: Engineering Practice Validation

Loose Belt Fault Detection and Virtual Flow Meter Development Using Identified Data-driven Energy Model for Fan Systems

Development of a method for predicting the transient behavior of an absorption chiller using artificial intelligence methods

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