Robust optimal design of building cooling systems concerning uncertainties using mini-max regret theory

Various uncertainties exist in cooling systems at the plan and design stage. The conventional design method usually selects the cooling system or configurations without considering uncertainties, which may be risky because the performance of the cooling system may deviate from the expected, together with increased cost and reduced benefit due to uncertainties and variations in actual working conditions. A new, simple, and effective method is proposed to optimize the design of cooling systems and get the robust optimal cooling system by considering uncertainties in the information used at the design stage. The mini-max regret theory is used to realize the method. Two important problems in the design of cooling systems are studied: chiller combinations and chilled water pump configurations. By considering the uncertainties in the cooling load, the robust optimal chiller combination can be obtained. By considering the uncertainties in the resistance of chilled water pipelines, the robust optimal chilled water pump configuration can be determined.