Hybrid model predictive control of a solar air conditioning plant

This paper describes the development and experimental validation ofamulti-layerhybrid controller for optimizing energy management inasolar air conditioning plant. The hybrid nature of the process is due to its multi-mode structure: the refrigeration circuit can be fed by flat solar collectors,astorage system, by an auxiliary gas heater, or byacombination of them. The selection of the operating mode is obtained by switching electrovalves, pumps, and three-way mixing valves. The proposed multi-layer hybrid controller consists ofahigh-level supervisor that decides on-line the optimal operating mode throughahybrid model predictive control strategy,astatic lower-level controller defining proper set-points for the chosen mode, and existing standard low-levelc on trollers that ensure robust tracking of such set-points. The overall controller was designed in Matlab/Simulink using the Hybrid Toolbox, and then tested experimentallyareal process, showing the effectiveness of the approach