Output feedback control of heat transport mechanisms in parabolic distributed solar collectors

Abstract

This paper presents an output feedback control for distributed parabolic solar collectors. The controller aims at forcing the outlet temperature to track a desired reference in order to manage the produced heat despite the external disturbances. The proposed control strategy is derived using the distributed physical model of the system to avoid the loss of information due to model approximation schemes. The system dynamics are driven to follow reference dynamics defined by a transport equation with a constant velocity, which allows to control the transient behavior and the response time of the closed loop. The designed controller depends only on the accessible measured variables which makes it easy for real time implementation and useful for industrial plants. Simulation results show the efficiency of the reference tracking closed loop under different working conditions.