Energy Consumption Optimization for the Cold Source System of a Hospital in Shanghai - Part II: Operation Control Strategy Using EnergyPlus

Abstract

Background: Energy consumption is a common problem in hospital buildings, which consume twice that of other public buildings. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the control strategy for the efficient operation of the cold source system. Objective: The study aimed to explore an efficient operation control strategy for cold source system, and new technologies and patents have emerged for the same. This work, utilizing EnergyPlus, modelled and analyzed the cold source system in a Shanghai hospital to optimize its operation. Methods: The accuracy of the simulation was verified by comparing it with experimental data. Based on the simulation results, the factors influencing the energy efficiency of the cold source system were analyzed, and then the operation control strategy of the cold source system was obtained. The XGBoost was used to fit the simulation results, and the operation strategy under full operating conditions was obtained. Results: The simulated results indicated the average energy saving rates during the summer season of the chillers, the chilled water pumps, the cooling water pumps, and the cooling towers to be 6.5%, -4.0%, 38.3%, and 5.4%, respectively, under the optimal operation control strategy. The average system Coefficient of Performance (COP) of the cold source system was 5.9, and the total energy consumption was 957016.3 kW·h, which was 7.1 % energy saving compared to that under the original operation. Conclusion: The conclusions of this study could provide references for the hospital buildings’ cold source system and group control method. This study has important practical significance for the efficient control strategy of cold source systems.