| Title |
A Study on the Optimization Methodology for Air-Conditioning System Operating Strategies |
| Abstract |
It is very critical to operate building air-conditioning system with scientific or optimal manners which consider minimized energy consumption and thermal comfort as well.Currently, the operators of central cooling plants determine control practices that yield reasonable operating costs by experience gained through trial-and-error operation over a long period of time. Little research has been performed in developing general methodologies that would be suitable for optimal control of large, centralized cooling systems. In this paper, a systematic methodology is presented for determining the optimal controlsettings for air-conditioning systems. Simulation and numerical optimization techniques are combined to search optimal control strategies for the air-conditioning system operation.The main goal of the study is to provide a systematic framework and guideline for the optimal operation of HVAC systems focusing on air-side. For a given colling loads and ambient outdoor conditions, the optimal operating strategies for a commercial building are determined by minimizing a constrained objectivefunction by a nonlinear programming technique. An optimization technique applied to the air-conditioning system operation is detailed and some preliminary example results are also presented. |