Nonconvex model predictive control for commercial refrigeration

Nonconvex model predictive control for commercial refrigeration

We consider the control of a commercial multi-zone refrigeration system, consisting of several cooling units that share a common compressor, and is used to cool multiple areas or rooms. In each time period we choose cooling capacity to each unit and a common evaporation temperature. The goal is to minimize the total energy cost, using real-time electricity prices, while obeying temperature cons...

Hybrid Model Predictive Control in Supermarket Refrigeration Systems

This paper presents a Model Predictive Control scheme in connection with the Mixed Logical Dynamical framework, which tackles the modelling and optimal control problem of supermarket refrigeration systems. The latter are hybrid systems with switched nonlinear dynamics and discrete-valued input variables such as valves. Simulation results indicate the potential increase in efficiency and reduced...

Nonconvex Optimization and Robustness in Realtime Model Predictive Control

Recent works in the nonlinear MPC literature have presented “realtime” optimization approaches based upon incremental updating of input parameters using local descent directions of the cost functional. The main downside to these methods is their strong dependence upon the values used to initialize the input parameters. In this note we study the robustness issues associated with nonlocal search ...

Cloudfridge: A Cloud-Based Control System for Commercial Refrigeration Systems

In California, commercial refrigeration accounts for 14% of electric energy usage, corresponding to 9,014 GWh per year and affecting more than 110,000 commercial establishments. A single walk-in freezer uses more energy than 5 single-family houses. Despite more stringent standards and utility programs promoting hardware improvements, controls systems used for commercial refrigerators are still ...

Refrigerant Choices for Commercial Refrigeration