Energy-optimal control of temperature for wine fermentation based on a novel model including the yeast dying phase*

Abstract We study energy-optimal control of the cooling process during wine fermentation. The process of wine fermentation is described by a novel model (Borzi et al. (2014)) including a death phase for yeast and the influence of oxygen on the process. The parameters determining the fermentation dynamics are estimated from measurements and the optimal cooling profile is computed. The numerical results regarding the development of the substrates and the product as well as the control profiles for a common fermentation temperature profile and the optimal temperature profile are compared. It turns out that significant improvement can be achieved by using the optimal calculated temperature profile.