Navier-stokes based indoor climate control

• US 10,208,971 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2015
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Original Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Inventors: Booij, Paul Sebastian
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Adam
• Application Number:
  US15/123,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20170074535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/04 involving the use of models or simulators
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1928 sensing the temperature of one space
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/25 Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor

Abstract

A data processor (4) is disclosed that can be used in a climate control system (1) for controlling a climate in an indoor space (10) or in a design system (20) for designing such a climate control system.

The data processor jointly resolves a set of coupled optimization problems of the following form:

$\begin{array}{cc}{z}_{\Phi }^k={{\mathrm{argmin}}_{Z_{\Phi }}\left(\left[S_{\Phi }^{k1}O\right]z_{\Phi }-{\tilde{\Phi }}^{k1}\right)}^T{Q}_{\Phi }^k\left(\left[S_{\Phi }^{k1}O\right]z_{\Phi }-{\tilde{\Phi }}^{k1}\right)+{\left({\left[OI\right]}_{Z_{\Phi }}\right)}^T{R}_{\Phi }^k\left({\left[OI\right]}_{Z_{\Phi }}\right)& \left(5a\right)\\ \mathrm{subject}\mathrm{to}& \\ \left[A_{\Phi }^k-B_{\Phi }^k\right]z_{\Phi }-b_{\Phi }^{\mathrm{\prime k}}\left({\Phi }^k,e_{\Phi }^k\right)=0& \left(5b\right)\end{array}$

• wherein:

$z_{\Phi }=\left[\begin{array}{c}\Phi \\ q_{\Phi }\end{array}\right]$
is an augmented state-vector comprising a vector Φ specifying the spatial distribution of a climate related variable with respect to a plurality of spatial cells, and a source term q_Φ to be resolved, and wherein

$z_{\Phi }^k=\left[\begin{array}{c}{\Phi }^{k+1}\\ q_{\Phi }^k\end{array}\right]$
is the solution found for point in time k+1, {tilde over (Φ)}^k+1 being a vector specifying a setpoint specified for said climate related variable at point in time k+1 for at least a part of said plurality of cells, e_Φ^k are boundary conditions relevant for said climate related variable at point in time k,

• S is a selection matrix, selecting cells for said distribution having a setpoint, O is the zero matrix, I is the identity matrix and Q and R are weighting matrices for tracking and energy consumption,
• wherein A_Φ is a matrix that defines the development of vector Φ as a function of one or more other vectors of climate related variables,
• wherein B_Φ is a matrix that maps the source terms for field Φ to the cell field values affected by those source terms, and wherein the data processor (4) controls the plurality of said actuators in accordance with the source term q_Φ.

Claims

1. A data processor, comprising outputs to provide control signals to one or more actuators, wherein said data processor jointly resolves a set of coupled optimization problems of the following form

z_Φ

^k=arg min_zΦ

([S_Φ

^k+1O]z_Φ

−

{tilde over (Φ

)}^k+1)^TQ_Φ

^k([S_Φ

^k+1O]z_Φ

−

{tilde over (Φ

)}^k+1)+([OI]z_Φ

)^TR_Φ

^k([OI]z_Φ

)

subject to [A_Φ

^k−

B_Φ

^k]z_Φ

−

b′

_Φ

^k(Φ

^k,e_Φ

^k)=0

wherein the control signals are to activate said one or more actuators to change at least one variable of an indoor climate, wherein;

2. The data processor according to claim 1, wherein jointly resolving the set of coupled optimization problems involves the following steps:

an update step, comprising the following sub-steps to be carried out in arbitrary order,

update (S1u) the air velocity field u and associated source term field q_u for a first spatial direction (x) by optimizing the air velocity field u for said direction,

update (S1y) the air velocity field v and associated source term field q_v for a second spatial direction (y) by optimizing the air velocity field v for said direction,

update (S1w) the air velocity field w and associated source term field q_w for a third spatial direction (z) by optimizing the air velocity field z for said direction,

update (S1T) the temperature field T and associated source term field q_T by optimizing the temperature field T,

calculate (S2) the pressure field (P),

apply a relaxation step (S3), and

check for convergence, otherwise repeat the previous steps S1-S3.

3. A data processing method for controlling at least one variable of an indoor climate, the data processing method comprising

jointly resolving a set of coupled optimization problems of the following form:

z_Φ

^k=arg min_zΦ

([S_Φ

^k+1O]z_Φ

−

{tilde over (Φ

)}^k+1)^TQ_Φ

^k([S_Φ

^k+1O]z_Φ

−

{tilde over (Φ

)}^k+1)+([OI]z_Φ

)^TR_Φ

^k([OI]z_Φ

) 

 

(5a)

subject to [A_Φ

^k−

B_Φ

^k]z_Φ

−

b′

_Φ

^k(Φ

^k,e_Φ

^k)=0

wherein;

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising

receiving sensory data indicative for sensed values from climate related variables in an indoor space as the data indicative for values of indoor climate related variables, and

driving said one or more actuators by said control signals.

5. The method according to claim 4, comprising providing the vector {tilde over (Φ

)} specifying a setpoint and the boundary conditions e_Φ

^k as constants.

6. The method according to claim 4, comprising providing the vector {tilde over (Φ

)} specifying a setpoint and/or the boundary conditions e_Φ

^k as variables.

7. The method according to claim 6, comprising jointly resolving the set of equations for one time step at a time.

8. The method according to claim 6, comprising jointly resolving the set of equations for a plurality of time steps and based on predicted values for the vector {tilde over (Φ

)} specifying the setpoint and/or the boundary conditions e_Φ

^k.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein the source terms (q_k) that are calculated in response to the provided setpoint values ({tilde over (Φ

)}_k) and boundary conditions (e_Φ

^k) are indicative for the one or more actuators to be used in a design and their required settings.

10. A climate control system for controlling a climate in an indoor space, comprising

a plurality of sensors configured to sense climate related variables in said indoor space, and to provide, to a controller, sensory data indicative for sensed values for said variables,

a plurality of actuators configured to control said climate related variables in said indoor space, and

the controller configured to jointly resolve a set of coupled optimization problems comprising

z_Φ

^k=arg min_zΦ

([S_Φ

^k+1O]z_Φ

−

{tilde over (Φ

)}^k+1)^TQ_Φ

^k([S_Φ

^k+1O]z_Φ

−

{tilde over (Φ

)}^k+1)+([OI]z_Φ

)^TR_Φ

^k([OI]z_Φ

)

subject to [A_Φ

^k−

B_Φ

^k]z_Φ

−

b′

_Φ

^k(Φ

^k,e_Φ

^k)=0,

wherein;

11. The climate control system of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to jointly resolve the set of coupled optimization problems by:

executing a plurality of update operations in arbitrary order, further comprising

updating an air velocity field u and associated source term field q_u for a first spatial direction (x) by optimizing the air velocity field u for said direction,

updating an air velocity field v and associated source term field q_v for a second spatial direction (y) by optimizing the air velocity field v for said direction,

updating an air velocity field w and associated source term field q_w for a third spatial direction (z) by optimizing the air velocity field z for said direction, and

updating a temperature field T and associated source term field q_T by optimizing the temperature field T,

calculating a pressure field (P),

applying a relaxation operation, and

checking for convergence, wherein the controller is otherwise configured to repeat the update operations, calculating the pressure field, and applying the relaxation operation.

12. The climate control system of claim 10, further comprising a mapping unit for mapping said sensory data onto the plurality of cells.

13. The climate control system of claim 10, wherein the vector {tilde over (Φ

)} specifying the setpoint for said climate related variable is uniform for at least a part of said plurality of cells.

14. The climate control system of claim 10, wherein the vector {tilde over (Φ

)} specifying the setpoint for said climate related variable is non-uniform for at least a part of said plurality of cells.

15. A design system comprising:

a data processor configured to jointly resolve a set of coupled optimization problems comprising

z_Φ

^k=arg min_zΦ

([S_Φ

^k+1O]z_Φ

−

{tilde over (Φ

)}^k+1)^TQ_Φ

^k([S_Φ

^k+1 O]z_Φ

−

{tilde over (Φ

)}^k+1)+([OI]z_Φ

)^TR_Φ

^k([OI]z_Φ

)

subject to [A_Φ

^k−

B_Φ

^k]Z_Φ

−

b′

_Φ

^k(Φ

^k,e_Φ

^k)=0,

wherein;

16. The design system of claim 15, wherein the data processor is configured to jointly resolve the set of coupled optimization problems by:

executing a plurality of update operations in arbitrary order, further comprising

updating an air velocity field u and associated source term field q_u for a first spatial direction (x) by optimizing the air velocity field u for said direction,

updating an air velocity field v and associated source term field q_v for a second spatial direction (y) by optimizing the air velocity field v for said direction,

updating an air velocity field w and associated source term field q_w for a third spatial direction (z) by optimizing the air velocity field z for said direction, and

updating a temperature field T and associated source term field q_T by optimizing the temperature field T,

calculating a pressure field (P),

applying a relaxation operation, and

checking for convergence, wherein the controller is otherwise configured to repeat the update operations, calculating the pressure field, and applying the relaxation operation.

17. The design system of claim 16, wherein the data processor is further configured to

receive sensory data indicative for sensed values from climate related variables in an indoor space as the data indicative for values of indoor climate related variables, and

drive the plurality of actuators by said control signals.

18. The design system of claim 17, wherein the data processor is further configured to provide the vector {tilde over (Φ

)} specifying a setpoint and the boundary conditions e_Φ

^k as constants.

19. The design system of claim 17, wherein the data processor is further configured to provide the vector {tilde over (Φ

)} specifying a setpoint and/or the boundary conditions e_Φ

^k as variables.