Model-based adaptive controller for personalized ventilation and thermal comfort in naturally ventilated spaces

• Published in: Building simulation 2021-12, Vol.14 (6), p.1757-1771
• Main Authors: Ghaddar, Dalia, Itani, Mariam, Ghaddar, Nesreen, Ghali, Kamel, Zeaiter, Joseph
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptive control; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Building Construction and Design; Controllers; Customization; Engineering; Engineering Thermodynamics; Flow velocity; Heat and Mass Transfer; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Proportional integral derivative; Regression models; Relative humidity; Research Article; Thermal comfort; Transfer functions; Ventilation
• ISSN: 1996-3599; 1996-8744
• DOI: 10.1007/s12273-021-0783-x

This work develops a standalone autonomously controlled personalized ventilation (PV) unit in a naturally ventilated (NV) office space to maintain acceptable thermal comfort ( TC ) under steady and transient indoor conditions and activity levels. The NV-PV proportional integral derivative (PID) controller adjusts the PV supply temperature ( T SPV ) at the occupant set flow rate ( Q SPV ) based on predicted TC using a regression model. The target TC level that the controller attains at all times is between 0 (neutral) and 1 (slightly comfortable). Process transfer functions were developed and then used to find the adaptive PID tuning coefficients using the Internal Model Control (IMC) method. The controller was tested in a case study at indoor temperature range of 25 to 33 °C with relative humidity range of 55% and 80%. It was shown that the NV-PV controller adjusted T SPV to maintain acceptable TC under transients of indoor conditions and metabolic rates.