DEVELOPMENT AND TEST OF AN ADAPTIVE MODEL BASED PREDICTIVE CONTROLLER FOR SMALL HEAT PUMP HEATING SYSTEMS
The heat pump heating systems in single family houses typically are controlled with a bang-bang controller for the return flow temperature. This type of controller permits sufficient comfort for the residents, but generally it is unable to take into account the dependence of the heat pump's efficiency on the outdoor air temperature. Therefore the heat pump consumes more electrical energy and thus keeps the heating costs higher than necessary. The Model Predictive Control (MPC) design technique is chosen to optimize the energy consumption and the comfort taking into account weather forecast data. To adjust the parameters of the MPC Controller an identification algorithm is implemented. Its function is to automatically detect the thermal behavior of the house and its heating system by on-line parameter identification techniques in order to adjust the controller parameters according to preset demands.