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An Exact Algorithm for the Optimal Chiller Loading Problem and Its Application to the Optimal Chiller Sequencing Problem

Author

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  • Federica Acerbi

    (Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy)

  • Mirco Rampazzo

    (Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy)

  • Giuseppe De Nicolao

    (Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy)

Abstract

The optimal management of multiple chiller systems calls for the solution of the so-called optimal chiller loading (OCL) problem. Due to the interplay of continuous and logical constraints, OCL is an NP-hard problem, so that a variety of heuristic algorithms have been proposed in the literature. Herein, an algorithm for its exact solution, named X-OCL, is developed under the assumption that the chillers’ power consumption curves are quadratic. The proposed method hinges on a decomposition of the solution space so that the overall OCL problem is decomposed to a set of equality constrained quadratic programming problems that can be solved in closed form. By applying the new X-OCL solver to well known case studies, we assess and compare the performances of several literature algorithms, highlighting also some errors in the published results. Moreover, X-OCL is used to design a greedy optimal chiller sequencing (OCS) solver, called X-OCS. The X-OCS is tested on two literature benchmarks and on the model of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system of a semiconductor plant, over a two-year period. The performances of X-OCS are remarkably close to the theoretical optimal performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Federica Acerbi & Mirco Rampazzo & Giuseppe De Nicolao, 2020. "An Exact Algorithm for the Optimal Chiller Loading Problem and Its Application to the Optimal Chiller Sequencing Problem," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-29, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:23:p:6372-:d:455065
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Huang, Sen & Zuo, Wangda & Sohn, Michael D., 2016. "Amelioration of the cooling load based chiller sequencing control," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 204-215.
    2. Chang, Yung-Chung & Chan, Tien-Shun & Lee, Wen-Shing, 2010. "Economic dispatch of chiller plant by gradient method for saving energy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(4), pages 1096-1101, April.
    3. Coelho, Leandro dos Santos & Klein, Carlos Eduardo & Sabat, Samrat L. & Mariani, Viviana Cocco, 2014. "Optimal chiller loading for energy conservation using a new differential cuckoo search approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 237-243.
    4. Chang, Yung-Chung, 2006. "An innovative approach for demand side management—optimal chiller loading by simulated annealing," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(12), pages 1883-1896.
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    Cited by:

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