Optimal Control of a General Environmental Space

Abstract

This study considers the optimal control of dry bulb temperature and moisture content in a single zone, to be accomplished in such a way as to be implementable in any zone of a multi-zone system. Optimality is determined in terms of appropriate cost and performance functions and subject to practical limits using the maximum principle. Several candidate optimal control strategies are investigated. It is shown that a bang-bang switching control which is theoretically periodic is a least cost practical control. In addition, specific attributes of this class of problem are explored.