Coordinated control for Air Handling Unit and Variable Air Volume boxes in multi-zone HVAC system

In this paper, a coordinated strategy of distributed model predictive control (DMPC) is proposed to accommodate Air Handling Unit (AHU) and Variable Air Volume boxes (VAV boxes) in a multi-zone HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system. A modified distributed model predictive control with equivalent local cooling cost and a total-air-mass-rate penalty term is implemented to local VAV boxes to regulate indoor temperature. The penalty term and AHU supply air temperature are updated in the upper coordinated layer to guarantee the total air mass rate within the limit and economic operation. In this framework, with the help of coordination from both DMPC and the upper layer, the operational cost from the HVAC system can be reduced. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is proved by a numerical simulation. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper proposes a coordinated strategy of distributed model predictive control (DMPC) to regulate Variable Air Volume (VAV) boxes and Air Handling Unit (AHU) in a multi-zone HVAC system. By implementing equivalent local cooling cost and total-air-mass-rate penalty term, the operational cost of the HVAC system can be reduced with coordination from both DMPC and the upper layer.