Model Predictive Control for a Heat Pump System with Thermal Storage Tanks: Economical Operation and Demand-Side Management

In light of the pressing challenges posed by global climate change and the imperative to reduce CO2 emissions, innovative approaches in energy management are critically important. This thesis presents an exploration of heat pumps integrated with Thermal Storage System (TES) systems, an area of research and application pivotal for enhancing...

Max-Min-Plus-Scaling Neural Networks to Approximate Continuous Piecewise Affine Model Predictive Control Laws

This thesis extensively examines the influential factors affecting the performance of approximations of Model Predictive Control (MPC) control laws using neural networks. MPC is a control strategy that solves an optimization problem at each timestep. This problem can be computationally complex and could be too slow to compute for online control....

Control of Thermal Management Systems for Electric Vehicles: Energy Efficiency Optimization for the Lightyear 0

Improving the energy efficiency of electric vehicles has various significant benefits, such as increasing the driving range. The Thermal Management System (TMS) plays a large role in optimizing the vehicle energy consumption and battery lifetime. In this thesis, a nonlinear Model Predictive control (MPC) strategy is presented to regulate the...

Integrating human drivers' behavioural rules into microscopic traffic simulation

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) can solve a lot of problems related to traffic safety, comfort and congestion. While the sensors used by these vehicles are getting cheaper, more accurate, and software is improving, the first completely automated vehicle does not exist yet. When AVs start gradually driving on the roads, there will be a mixed traffic...

Combined Path Tracking and Stability Control using Model Predictive Control

This thesis presents a new MPC controller which integrates path tracking and stability control into one controller. Previously these tasks were done by separate controllers, where one controller handled the path tracking while another controller ensured the vehicle was kept in the stable operating region. A drawback of this method is that the...

Mixed Logical Dynamical Model Predictive Control for Autonomous Irrigation of Greenhouse Grown Vegetables

Since industrialization, world population is constantly on the rise, and so the demand for nutritious and healthy food is increasing as well. Traditional agriculture is steadily extended with and substituted by crop growing in greenhouses, which has better yield, more resistance against weather extremes, and overall more control over the growing...

Equity in traffic light control: Identifying- and measuring equity traffic light control. A case study to improve equity at the intersection A050 in Deventer for intelligent Traffic Light Controller: Flowtack

A new generation of intelligent Traffic Light Controllers uses Model Predictive Control to minimise delay at signalised intersections. The conventional cycle of set sequences of green phases is dropped for optimisation purposes. This research uses the ethical theories utilitarianism, egalitarianism, sufficientarianism & deontology to define...

An Exploration of Integrated Bi-level Local and Global Model Predictive Control for Air Traffic Control Applications

A hierarchical bi-level model predictive controller is proposed in this thesis to reduce the computational complexity of controlling a large scale air traffic control problem, using a model predictive control approach. The bi-level controller developed and tested in this research project is a combination of a global, long-term, slow-rate,...

Economic Model Predictive Control for the Demand Side Management of Residential Microgrids

Traditional electric power systems with large centralized base load power plants have a limited ability to react rapidly to the high supply variability associated with the increasing deployment of variable and intermittent renewable energy sources (RESs). Furthermore, with current power distribution networks primarily designed for unidirectional...

Model Predictive Control Architecture Comparison for a Power Scheduling Electric Vehicle Aggregator

Energy flexibility is the ability to change power production or consumption over time. It is required for a power system to function properly, to balance supply and demand. Currently, the largest providers of energy flexibility in the Netherlands can be found on the supply side and consist mainly out of fossil fueled power plants. As these are...

Gradient-based hybrid Model Predictive Control using Time Instant Optimization for Dutch regional water systems

This thesis focusses on Dutch regional water systems. These systems are often low-lying polder-belt canal systems, where many pumps are needed to meet different requirements regarding water quantity and quality. The control of a complex water system, consisting of continuous dynamics (evolution of water flow and levels) and discrete elements (e...