Takagi-Sugeno model based Nonlinear Parameter Estimation in Air Handling Units*

Air Handling Units (AHU) are responsible for efficiently transferring the energy produced for heating or cooling to the occupant area in the building. This energy transfer dynamics is modeled as a bilinear system. Such a structure poses problems to develop observers either with asymptotically vanishing error or with guaranteed error bounds. Takagi-Sugeno based polytopic models allow modeling of such nonlinear systems as well as to extend the results from linear system theory. Parameter estimation of such models with guaranteed error bounds is presented in Bezzaoucha et al. (2013). The present work applies this nonlinear parameter estimation technique on the energy balance model of a heat exchanger, the key component in an AHU. Three parameter estimation scenarios are proposed and extension to the theoretical results in the reference from an implementation point of view are given. Simulation results are provided to show the feasibility of the approach.