The Most Common Heating System Control Errors and the Possibility of Solving them with Self-Adjusting Controllers
摘要
Local control loops are essential, yet frequently disregarded, parts of the larger system in today’s building/industrial systems. The PID is the most widely used controller for local continuous control, and it gets its name because it consists of proportional, integral, and derivative components. Unwanted issues like oscilla-tions, overshoots, or very long settling to reference might happen when the PID parameter gains are not tuned. The possible outcomes are hydraulic issues, dis-comfort, shortened lifespan, etc. Unfortunately, the proper parameter setup is frequently neglected in practice because of the lengthy settling times and, thus, the significant time consumption of a competent technician. In this paper, we introduce the RoboPID method, an autonomous self-adjusting controller that emulates the workflow of skilled professionals. The RoboPID algorithm studies step responses to setpoint perturbation and performs steps in the parameter space to improve the response until the desired number of perturbations is performed. Remote diagnostics aims to identify underperforming loops (caused by wear, fouling, operating point change, etc.) and start re-tuning the impacted loops to maintain optimal control performance. The key benefits include reduced labor costs, accurate local control, and lower demand for highly qualified BACS personnel.