Objectives

Control Terminology
Types of controllers
Differences

Controls in the real world

Problems
Response time vs. stability

Motivation
Maintain environmental quality
Thermal comfort
Indoor air quality
Material protection

Conserve energy
Protect equipment

Basic purpose of HVAC control

Daily, weekly, and seasonal swings make HVAC control
challenging
Highly unsteady-state environment
Provide balance of reasonable comfort at minimum cost and
energy
Two distinct actions:
1) Switching/Enabling: Manage availability of
plant according to schedule using timers.
2) Regulation: Match plant capacity to demand

History

Process controls
Self-powered controls
Pneumatic and electro-mechanical controls
Electronic controls
Direct digital control (DDC)

Terminology
Sensor
Measures quantity of
interest

Controller
Interprets sensor data

Controlled device
Changes based on
controller output

Figure 2-13

outdoor

Direct

Indirect

Closed Loop or Feedback

Open Loop or Feedforward

 Set Point
Desired sensor value

Control Point
Current sensor value

Error or Offset
Difference between control point and set point

Two-Position Control Systems

Used in small, relatively simple systems
Controlled device is on or off
It is a switch, not a valve

Good for devices that change slowly

 Anticipator can be used to shorten response time

Control differential is also called deadband

Residential system - thermostat

~50 years old

DDC thermostat
- Daily and weekly
programming

Modulating Control Systems

Example: Heat exchanger control
Modulating (Analog) control

Cooling coil
air

water

(set point temperature)

Modulating Control Systems

Used in larger systems
Output can be anywhere in operating range
Three main types
Proportional
PI
PID

Electric (pneumatic) motor

Position (x)
fluid

Volume flow rate

Vfluid = f(x) - linear or exponential function

The PIDconstants
control algorithm
time

e(t) difference between

set point and
measured value
Position (x)

Proportional

Integral

Differential

For our example of heating coil:

x K (Tset point

d (Tset point Tmeasured )

K
Tmeasured ) (Tset point Tmeasured )d K Td
Ti
d

Proportional
(how much)
Position of the valve

Integral
(for how long)

Differential
(how fast)

Proportional Controllers
x A K (Tset point Tmeasured )
x is controller output
A is controller output with no error
(often A=0)
Kis proportional gain constant
e = Tset point Tmeasured is error (offset)

Unstable system

Stable system

Issues with P Controllers

Always have an offset
But, require less tuning than other
controllers
Very appropriate for things that change
slowly
i.e. building internal temperature

Proportional + Integral (PI)

x A K (Tset point

K
Tmeasured ) (Tset point Tmeasured )d
Ti

K/Ti is integral gain

If controller is tuned
properly, offset is
reduced to zero

Figure 2-18a

Issues with PI Controllers

Scheduling issues
Require more tuning than for P
But, no offset

Proportional + Integral +
Derivative (PID)
Improvement over PI because of faster response
and less deviation from offset
Increases rate of error correction as errors get larger

But
HVAC controlled devices are too slow responding
Requires setting three different gains

Ref: Kreider and Rabl.Figure 12.5

The control in HVAC system only PI

x K (Tset point Tmeasured )

K
(Tset point Tmeasured )d

Ti

Proportional

Integral

value
Set point

Set point

Proportional
affect the slope

Integral
affect the shape after
the first bump

The Real World

50% of US buildings have control problems
90% tuning and optimization
10% faults

25% energy savings from correcting control

problems
Commissioning is critically important

Practical Details

Measure what you want to control

Verify that sensors are working
Integrate control system components
Tune systems
Measure performance
Commission control systems

HVAC Control

Example 1:
Economizer (fresh air volume flow rate control)
Controlled device is damper
damper

fresh
air

- Damper for the air

- Valve for the liquids

mixing

recirc.
air

T & RH sensors

Economizer
% fresh air

Fresh air volume flow rate control

enthalpy

damper

Fresh
(outdoor)
air

TOA (hOA)

mixing

Recirc.
air

T & RH sensors

100%

Minimum for
ventilation

Economizer cooling regime

How to control the fresh air volume flow rate?
If TOA < Tset-point Supply more fresh air than the minimum required
The question is how much?

% fresh air

Open the damper for the fresh air

and compare the Troom with the Tset-point .
Open till you get the Troom = Tset-point
If you have 100% fresh air and your
still need cooling use cooling coil.

100%

Minimum for
ventilation

What are the priorities:

- Control the dampers and then the cooling coils or
- Control the valves of cooling coil and then the dampers ?
Defend by SEQUENCE OF OERATION
the set of operation which HVAC designer provides to the automatic control engineer

Economizer cooling regime

Example of SEQUENCE OF OERATIONS:
If TOA < Tset-point open the fresh air damper the maximum position
Then, if Tindoor air < Tset-point start closing the cooling coil valve
If cooling coil valve is closed and T indoor air < Tset-point start closing the damper
till you get T indoor air = T set-point

Other variations are possible

HVAC Control
Example 2:
Dew point control (Relative Humidity control)
damper
fan

fresh filter cooling heating

air
coil
coil

filter

mixing

T & RH sensors
Heat gains
Humidity generation
We should supply air with lower humidity ratio (w) and lower temperature
We either measure Dew Point directly or T & RH sensors substitute dew point sensor

Relative humidity control by cooling coil

Cooling Coil
Mixture

Supply

TDP

Room

Heating coil

Relative humidity control by cooling coil (CC)

Cooling coil is controlled by TDP set-point
if TDP measured > TDP set-point send the signal to open more the CC valve
if TDP measured < TDP set-point send the signal to close more the CC valve

Heating coil is controlled by Tair set-point

if Tair < Tair set-point send the signal to open more the heating coil valve
if Tair > Tair set-point send the signal to close more the heating coil valve

Control valves
Fresh air

mixing
cooling
coil

heating
coil

Tair & TDP sensors

Sequence of operation
(ECJ research facility)
Mixture 3

Set Point
(SP)
Mixture 1

DPTSP

Mixture 2

Control logic:
DBTSP

Mixture in zone 1: IF (( TM<TSP) & (DPTM<DPTSP) ) heating and humidifying

Heater control: IF (TSP>TSA) increase heating or IF (TSP<TSA) decrease heating
Humidifier: IF (DPTSP>DPTSA) increase humidifying or IF (DPTSP<DPTSA)
decrease humid.
Mixture in zone 2: IF ((TM>TSP) & (DPTM<DPTSP) ) cooling and humidifying
Cool. coil cont.: IF (TSP<TSA) increase cooling or IF (TSP>TSA) decrease
cooling
Humidifier: IF (DPTSP>DPTSA) increase humidifying or IF (DPTSP<DPTSA)
decrease hum.
Mixture in zone 3: IF ((DPTM>DPTSP) ) cooling/dehumidifying and reheatin
Cool. coil cont.: IF (DPTSP>DPTSA) increase cooling or IF (DPTSP<DPTSA)
decrease cooling
Heater control: IF (TSP>TSA) increase heating or IF (TSP<TSA) decrease heating