An Optimum Control Method for HVAC Systems with Double Circuit Cooling Coil Using Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

Abstract Double circuit cooling coil (DCCC) is a special type of coil which could adjust the chilled water flow rate and the chilled water temperature independently. In this study, a particle swarm optimization (PSO)-based method is proposed to optimize the chilled water flow rate and the chilled water temperature. A test HVAC system with DCCC is constructed in laboratory firstly. The system is modeled by first principles, including a coil model, a heater model and a humidifier model. The parameters of the models are calibrated using measurements from the real system. Results show that the simulated data fit the experimental data very well. The real-time optimal parameters for controlling the DCCC are obtained using PSO-based method. The energy performance of the PSO-based method is analyzed. The most significant energy saving potentials could be obtained with energy saving potentials above 60% under high-sensible heat loads and low-latent heat loads.