Enhancing control and performance evaluation of composite heating systems through modal analysis and model predictive control: Design and comprehensive analysis

The solar-air source heat pump hybrid heating system exhibits suboptimal performance in optimizing the control of indoor air temperature, enhancing thermal comfort, and reducing system energy consumption. Advanced Model Predictive Control (MPC) has found extensive application in heating ventilation air conditioning systems(HVAC). Leveraging a physical platform, this study has designed a mathematical simulation model and meticulously validated simulation results. In order to reduce computational costs, a Modal Analysis-based Model Predictive Control (MA-MPC) is introduced, achieving a 55-fold reduction in processing time for a single time step while ensuring precise system control. Comparative simulations were conducted to assess the performance of ON-OFF control and MPC in terms of pump frequency, flow rate, stratified tank temperatures, component operation, and system energy consumption. Under the MPC strategy, indoor temperature fluctuations, pump frequency response speed, and energy consumption outperform ON-OFF control, resulting in a reduction of temperature fluctuations by approximately 2.4 °C. In contrast to MPC control, MA-MPC exhibits a mere 0.255 °C deviation in indoor temperature. This advancement not only significantly shortens computation time but also ensures enhanced control precision and reduced system energy consumption. Relative to MPC, MA-MPC achieves remarkable energy savings of up to 16.32% for the entire system.