Control system for central energy facility with distributed energy storage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11209184-B2
Application number	US-201916246454-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2019
Priority date	Jan 12, 2018
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

A control system for a central energy facility with distributed energy storage includes a high level coordinator, a low level airside controller, a central plant controller, and a battery controller. The high level coordinator is configured to perform a high level optimization to generate an airside load profile for an airside system, a subplant load profile for a central plant, and a battery power profile for a battery. The low level airside controller is configured to use the airside load profile to operate airside HVAC equipment of the airside subsystem. The central plant controller is configured to use the subplant load profile to operate central plant equipment of the central plant. The battery controller is configured to use the battery power profile to control an amount of electric energy stored in the battery or discharged from the battery at each of a plurality of time steps in an optimization period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control system for a central energy facility with distributed energy storage, the control system comprising:
a high level coordinator configured to perform a high level optimization to generate an airside load profile comprising an airside load for an airside system, a subplant load profile comprising a subplant load for each subplant of a central plant, and a battery power profile comprising a power setpoint for a battery at each of a plurality of time steps in an optimization period, the high level optimization comprising one or more constraints, the high level coordinator configured to coordinate the airside load profile, the subplant load profile, and the battery power profile and coordinate utilization of the battery by the airside system and the central plant;
a low level airside controller configured to use the airside load profile to operate airside HVAC equipment of the airside system;
a central plant controller configured to use the subplant load profile to operate central plant equipment of the central plant; and
a battery controller configured to use the battery power profile to control an amount of electric energy stored in the battery or discharged from the battery at each of the plurality of time steps.

2. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the high level coordinator is configured to perform the high level optimization by optimizing an objective function which accounts for:
a total cost of energy consumed by the airside HVAC equipment and the central plant equipment; and
revenue generated by operating the battery to participate in an incentive-based demand response program.

3. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the high level coordinator is configured to:
detect whether the airside HVAC equipment, the central plant equipment, and the battery are present;
in response to a first determination that the central plant equipment are not present, automatically adjust the high level optimization to omit generating the subplant load profile;
in response to a second determination that the airside HVAC equipment are not present, automatically adjust the high level optimization to omit generating the airside load profile; and
in response to a third determination that the battery is not present, automatically adjust the high level optimization to omit generating the battery power profile.

4. A heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) system for a building, the HVAC system comprising:
an airside system comprising airside HVAC equipment configured to provide heating or cooling to a building zone;
a central plant comprising central plant equipment configured to produce thermal energy used by the airside system to provide the heating or cooling;
a battery configured to store electrical energy and discharge the electrical energy for use in powering at least one of the building, the airside HVAC equipment, or the central plant equipment; and
a high level coordinator configured to perform a high level optimization to generate an airside load profile comprising an airside load for the airside system, a subplant load profile comprising a subplant load for each subplant of the central plant, and a battery power profile comprising a power setpoint for the battery at each of a plurality of time steps in an optimization period, wherein the high level coordinator is configured to adjust utilization of the battery by both the airside system and the central plant.

5. The HVAC system of claim 4 , wherein the high level coordinator is configured to:
automatically adjust the high level optimization to omit generating the subplant load profile in response to a first determination that the central plant is not detected;
automatically adjust the high level optimization to omit generating the airside load profile in response to a second determination that the airside system is not detected; and
automatically adjust the high level optimization to omit generating the battery power profile in response to a third determination that the battery is not detected.

6. The HVAC system of claim 4 , further comprising a low level airside controller configured to use the airside load profile to operate the airside HVAC equipment of the airside system.

7. The HVAC system of claim 4 , wherein the airside system comprises a plurality of airside subsystems, each airside subsystem comprising a portion of the airside HVAC equipment configured to provide heating or cooling to a corresponding building zone;
wherein the high level coordinator is configured to generate an airside subsystem load profile for each of the plurality of airside subsystems.

8. The HVAC system of claim 7 , further comprising a plurality of low level airside controllers, each corresponding to one of the airside subsystems and configured to use the airside subsystem load profile for the corresponding airside subsystem to operate the portion of the airside HVAC equipment of the corresponding airside subsystem or generate setpoints that are used to operate the portion of the airside HVAC equipment of the corresponding airside subsystem.

9. The HVAC system of claim 4 , wherein:
the airside load profile indicates a thermal energy allocation to the airside system at each of the plurality of time steps; and
the high level coordinator is configured to use an airside power consumption model to define an airside power consumption of the airside system as a function of the thermal energy allocation to the airside system.

10. The HVAC system of claim 4 , wherein the high level coordinator is configured to generate an airside temperature model for the airside system, the airside temperature model defining a relationship between the airside load profile and a temperature of the building zone.

11. The HVAC system of claim 4 , further comprising a central plant controller configured to:
perform a low level optimization to generate setpoints for the central plant equipment subject to a constraint based on the subplant load profile; and
use the setpoints for the central plant equipment to operate the central plant equipment.

12. The HVAC system of claim 4 , wherein the high level coordinator is configured to perform the high level optimization by optimizing an objective function which accounts for at least one of a total cost of energy consumed by the airside HVAC equipment and the central plant equipment or revenue generated by operating the battery to participate in an incentive-based demand response program.

13. A method for operating a heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) system for a building, the method comprising:
operating an airside system comprising airside HVAC equipment to provide heating or cooling to a building zone;
operating a central plant comprising central plant equipment to produce thermal energy used by the airside system to provide the heating or cooling;
performing, subject to one or more constraints, a high level optimization to generate an airside load profile comprising an airside load for the airside system, a subplant load profile comprising a subplant load for each subplant of the central plant at each of a plurality of time steps in an optimization period, wherein performing the high level optimization comprises coordinating utilization of a battery by the airside system and the central plant.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
operating the battery to store electrical energy and discharge the electrical energy for use in powering at least one of the building, the airside HVAC equipment, or the central plant equipment;
wherein performing the high level optimization comprises generating a battery p

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co
• Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP

Inventors

• Wenzel Michael J
• Elbsat Mohammad N
• Ellis Matthew J
• Asmus Matthew J
• Przybylski Andrew J
• Baumgartner Ryan A
• Burroughs John H
• Drees Kirk H
• Turney Robert D
• Willmott Graeme

Classifications

• G05B2219/32021

  Energy management, balance and limit power to tools · CPC title

• G06Q50/06

  Energy or water supply · CPC title

• G06Q10/04

  Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" (market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202) · CPC title

• G05B13/048 Primary

  using a predictor · CPC title

• Y02P70/10

  Greenhouse gas [GHG] capture, material saving, heat recovery or other energy efficient measures, e.g. motor control, characterised by manufacturing processes, e.g. for rolling metal or metal working · CPC title