IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v320y2025ics036054422500859x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Stable and efficient hybrid controller of solar thermal membrane reactor based on machine learning and multi-objective optimization

Author

Listed:
  • Tang, Xin-Yuan
  • Yang, Wei-Wei
  • Li, Jia-Chen
  • Zhang, Jia-Rui
  • Lin, Yi-Wan

Abstract

Ensuring the efficient and stable operation of solar thermal devices under variable solar energy conditions is important and challenging. This study develops a hybrid feedforward feedback (FF-FB) control method for solar thermal-driven membrane reactor (STMR) to achieve multiple targets of stable conversion, low preheating input, and efficient hydrogen production and separation. The feedforward control part of the hybrid control method consists of multi-objective optimization based on machine learning model, and the feedback control part utilizes optimized PI control. The effects of control methods are tested under step and real continuous solar radiation. The results show that the FF-FB control combines the predictability of feedforward and the stability of feedback, giving FF-FB control the best overall performance. Also, under high frequency and high amplitude fluctuations of continuous solar radiation, the methane conversion in FF-FB control shows only an average deviation of 2.1 × 10−4 with a maximum of 1.16 × 10−3. The FF-FB control relatively improves the hydrogen yield by 33 % and hydrogen recovery by 43 % compared to the feedback control, while reducing the input preheat ratio by 30 %. The robustness of the hybrid FF-FB control effect is still maintained under multiple realistic error scenarios, and the average errors are all within 3 × 10−4.

Suggested Citation

  • Tang, Xin-Yuan & Yang, Wei-Wei & Li, Jia-Chen & Zhang, Jia-Rui & Lin, Yi-Wan, 2025. "Stable and efficient hybrid controller of solar thermal membrane reactor based on machine learning and multi-objective optimization," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:320:y:2025:i:c:s036054422500859x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.135217
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036054422500859X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2025.135217?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joeri Rogelj & Daniel Huppmann & Volker Krey & Keywan Riahi & Leon Clarke & Matthew Gidden & Zebedee Nicholls & Malte Meinshausen, 2019. "A new scenario logic for the Paris Agreement long-term temperature goal," Nature, Nature, vol. 573(7774), pages 357-363, September.
    2. Roca, Lidia & de la Calle, Alberto & Yebra, Luis J., 2013. "Heliostat-field gain-scheduling control applied to a two-step solar hydrogen production plant," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 298-305.
    3. Zhang, Peiye & Liu, Ming & Mu, Ruiqi & Yan, Junjie, 2024. "Exergy-based control strategy design and dynamic performance enhancement for parabolic trough solar receiver-reactor of methanol decomposition reaction," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    4. Iulianelli, A. & Ribeirinha, P. & Mendes, A. & Basile, A., 2014. "Methanol steam reforming for hydrogen generation via conventional and membrane reactors: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 355-368.
    5. Najafabadi, Hamed Abedini & Ozalp, Nesrin, 2017. "Development of a control model to regulate temperature in a solar receiver," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 95-104.
    6. Youssef Karout & Axel Curcio & Julien Eynard & Stéphane Thil & Sylvain Rodat & Stéphane Abanades & Valéry Vuillerme & Stéphane Grieu, 2023. "Model-Based Predictive Control of a Solar Hybrid Thermochemical Reactor for High-Temperature Steam Gasification of Biomass," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-23, March.
    7. Guo, Yongpeng & Chen, Jing & Song, Hualong & Zheng, Ke & Wang, Jian & Wang, Hongsheng & Kong, Hui, 2024. "A review of solar thermochemical cycles for fuel production," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 357(C).
    8. Remo Schäppi & David Rutz & Fabian Dähler & Alexander Muroyama & Philipp Haueter & Johan Lilliestam & Anthony Patt & Philipp Furler & Aldo Steinfeld, 2022. "Drop-in fuels from sunlight and air," Nature, Nature, vol. 601(7891), pages 63-68, January.
    9. Tang, Xin-Yuan & Yang, Wei-Wei & Ma, Xu & He, Ya-Ling, 2024. "Bionic leaf-inspired catalyst bed structure for solar membrane reactor aiming at efficient hydrogen production and separation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 355(C).
    10. Tang, Xin-Yuan & Yang, Wei-Wei & Ma, Xu & Cao, Xiangkun Elvis, 2023. "An integrated modeling method for membrane reactors and optimization study of operating conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    11. Tang, X.Y. & Yang, W.W. & Yang, Y. & Jiao, Y.H. & Zhang, T., 2021. "A design method for optimizing the secondary reflector of a parabolic trough solar concentrator to achieve uniform heat flux distribution," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    12. Qian Wang & Chanon Pornrungroj & Stuart Linley & Erwin Reisner, 2022. "Strategies to improve light utilization in solar fuel synthesis," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 13-24, January.
    13. Zhang, Peiye & Liu, Ming & Zhao, Yongliang & Yan, Junjie, 2023. "Performance analysis on the parabolic trough solar receiver-reactor of methanol decomposition reaction under off-design conditions and during dynamic processes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 583-597.
    14. Yadav, Deepak & Banerjee, Rangan, 2016. "A review of solar thermochemical processes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 497-532.
    15. Tang, Xin-Yuan & Zhang, Kai-Ran & Yang, Wei-Wei & Dou, Pei-Yuan, 2023. "Integrated design of solar concentrator and thermochemical reactor guided by optimal solar radiation distribution," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PB).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yang, Wei-Wei & Tang, Xin-Yuan & Ma, Xu & Li, Jia-Chen & Xu, Chao & He, Ya-Ling, 2023. "Rapid prediction, optimization and design of solar membrane reactor by data-driven surrogate model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    2. Guo, Yongpeng & Chen, Jing & Song, Hualong & Zheng, Ke & Wang, Jian & Wang, Hongsheng & Kong, Hui, 2024. "A review of solar thermochemical cycles for fuel production," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 357(C).
    3. Ma, Zhao & Li, Ming-Jia & He, Ya-Ling & Max Zhang, K., 2020. "Performance analysis and optimization of solar thermochemical reactor by diluting catalyst with encapsulated phase change material," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    4. Tang, Xin-Yuan & Yang, Wei-Wei & Li, Jia-Chen & Liang, Lan-Xin & Lin, Yi-Wan & He, Ya-Ling, 2025. "A new heliostat field optimal design strategy for deformable petal hybrid layout of concentrated solar power via multi-algorithm filtering," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    5. Zhang, Peiye & Liu, Ming & Mu, Ruiqi & Yan, Junjie, 2024. "Exergy-based control strategy design and dynamic performance enhancement for parabolic trough solar receiver-reactor of methanol decomposition reaction," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    6. Tang, Xin-Yuan & Yang, Wei-Wei & Ma, Xu & Cao, Xiangkun Elvis, 2023. "An integrated modeling method for membrane reactors and optimization study of operating conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    7. Zhang, Hao & Zhang, Xiaomi & Yang, Dazhi & Liu, Bai & Shuai, Yong & Lougou, Bachirou Guene & Zhou, Qian & Huang, Xing & Wang, Fuqiang, 2024. "Comparison of non-isothermal and isothermal cycles in a novel methane-assisted two-step thermochemical process," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    8. Pan, Ruming & Yang, Youwei & Lougou, Bachirou Guene & Wu, Lianxuan & Wang, Wei & Guo, Yanming & Shuai, Yong, 2024. "Thermal performance evaluation of a novel solar-driven pyrolysis reactor," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    9. Zhang, Entao & Xu, Chenyu & Gao, Yuan & Zhu, Xuan & Xie, Yin & Xu, Mingpan & Zhang, Yanwei, 2025. "An efficient ordered conversion system for hydrogen and electricity cogeneration driven by concentrated solar energy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 377(PC).
    10. Rodat, Sylvain & Abanades, Stéphane & Boujjat, Houssame & Chuayboon, Srirat, 2020. "On the path toward day and night continuous solar high temperature thermochemical processes: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    11. Tang, Xin-Yuan & Zhang, Kai-Ran & Yang, Wei-Wei & Dou, Pei-Yuan, 2023. "Integrated design of solar concentrator and thermochemical reactor guided by optimal solar radiation distribution," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PB).
    12. Shi, Xuhang & Li, Chunzhe & Yang, Zhenning & Xu, Jie & Song, Jintao & Wang, Fuqiang & Shuai, Yong & Zhang, Wenjing, 2024. "Egg-tray-inspired concave foam structure on pore-scale space radiation regulation for enhancing photo-thermal-chemical synergistic conversion," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    13. Shi, Xuhang & Song, Jintao & Cheng, Ziming & Liang, Huaxu & Dong, Yan & Wang, Fuqiang & Zhang, Wenjing, 2023. "Radiative intensity regulation to match energy conversion on demand in solar methane dry reforming to improve solar to fuel conversion efficiency," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 207(C), pages 436-446.
    14. Tang, Xin-Yuan & Yang, Wei-Wei & Ma, Xu & He, Ya-Ling, 2024. "Bionic leaf-inspired catalyst bed structure for solar membrane reactor aiming at efficient hydrogen production and separation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 355(C).
    15. Sadeghi, Shayan & Ghandehariun, Samane, 2022. "A standalone solar thermochemical water splitting hydrogen plant with high-temperature molten salt: Thermodynamic and economic analyses and multi-objective optimization," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    16. Fudholi, Ahmad & Sopian, Kamaruzzaman, 2019. "A review of solar air flat plate collector for drying application," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 333-345.
    17. Tang, Yuanyou & Wang, Yang & Long, Wuqiang & Xiao, Ge & Wang, Yongjian & Li, Weixing, 2023. "Analysis and enhancement of methanol reformer performance for online reforming based on waste heat recovery of methanol-diesel dual direct injection engine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    18. Gorbach, O.G. & Kost, C. & Pickett, C., 2022. "Review of internal carbon pricing and the development of a decision process for the identification of promising Internal Pricing Methods for an Organisation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    19. Coppens, Léo & Venmans, Frank, 2025. "The welfare properties of climate targets," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    20. Jiang, Dongyue & Yang, Wenming & Tang, Aikun, 2016. "A refractory selective solar absorber for high performance thermochemical steam reforming," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 286-292.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:320:y:2025:i:c:s036054422500859x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.