Project abstract
In the field of energy systems, control is a key technology for plant management and performance enhancement. In the last years, the activity evolved around many types of different plants, among which wind and solar systems, thermo-hydraulic and chemical processes, electrical devices and networks.
Some projects are described below.
- Thermo-dynamic solar plant modeling and control (collaboration with RSE)
Complementing a traditional gas-turbine power plant with a solar receiver is a promising technology. We studied power plants with a large surrounding field of heliostats, conveying the solar energy to a number of receivers located on the four sides of the top of a solar tower. The project involved the design and control of the heliostats field, the integration of the solar energy receivers with the conventional gas-turbine, and the recovery boiler.
- Flexible interaction of photovoltaic plants with the grid by a controlled storage systems (collaboration with RSE)
As any non-programmable renewable energy, photovoltaic power plants suffer from the random character of sun radiation, leading to possible surplus or shortage of generated power. To compensate such unbalances, a possibility is to equip the plant with a storage system, e.g. a lithium-ion battery. A typical plant consisting in the photovoltaic generator, the energy storage system, the DC-bus and the inverter has been studied. The control of such complex set of devices can be organized in a hierarchical manner, and designed to maximize the self-consumption of the local load unit. In particular, the ESS action performs power balance in case of low solar radiation or surplus of PV generation, thus managing the power exchange variability at the plant with the grid. The implemented control strategy is under testing in RSE pilot test facility in Milan, Italy. The main results have been published in the International Journal of Control.
- A new technology for carbon dioxide capture (collaboration with RSE)
For post-combustion CO2 capture in coal-fired power plants, the chemical treatment of flue gases with solid sorbents appears to be one of the technologically most promising and less energy-intensive processes. Our project is devoted to the design of the control system for fixed-bed reactors, where the treatment is carried out by amine supported on solid pellets (amine reactor). To this purpose, it is fundamental to understand first the dynamics of the plant via a suitable modeling. In the conducted research activity, the model, originally based on partial differential equations, has been transformed into an ordinary nonlinear differential equations system of high order (840 state variables). A critical issue is the value of the kinetic parameters, largely uncertain. These parameters have been therefore identified from data collected in experiments performed in a pilot plant by the RSE laboratory of Piacenza (Italy). This study is reported in various articles presented at conferences, and in a paper published in a top journal of the American Chemical Society.
- Advanced control schemes in gas compression stations for improving fuel efficiency (collaboration with ABB Process Automation)
Gas compression stations are plants required for natural distribution in gas transportation networks. The compression stations have the task to maintain the gas flow at certain operating conditions of flow rate, pressure and temperature: the task is achieved by compressors of different types, operating together in parallel and/or in series configurations. The operating point of each compressors is defined by the "load sharing control system". The study is focused on an advanced load sharing control system that can identify the performance of each compressor with a parametric model: the models of each compressor are used to run a quadratic optimization problem, with the objective of minimizing the overall fuel consumption of the plant. The study has been the subject of collaboration with ABB research centers and the Italian ABB Center of Excellence in rotating machines and is reported in various articles presented at conferences.
Project results
- Thermo-dynamic solar plant modeling and control:
Bittanti S., V. Casamassima, A. De Marco, A. Guagliardi, B. Karaj: A study for the control system of a hybrid solar - gas turbine power plant. IEEE 4th International Conference on Power Engineering and Electrical Drives - IEEE POWERENG. Istanbul (Turkey), 2013.
- Flexible interaction of photovoltaic plants with the grid by a controlled storage systems:
Bittanti S., R. Lazzari, A. De Marco, C. Ferrari: Control strategy and simulation of a PV generator including energy storage. IEEE International Conference on Renewable Energy Research and Applications – IEEE ICRERA. Madrid (Spain), p. 237-242, 2013.
Lazzari, R., Parma, C., De Marco, A., Bittanti, S. (2015). Enabling a flexible exchange of energy of a photovoltaic plant with the grid by means of a controlled storage system. International Journal Control, 88(7) 1352-1364. Doi: 10.1080/00207179.2015.1025847.
- A new technology for carbon dioxide capture:
Bittanti S., A. De Marco, L. Fenzi, M. Notaro, V. Prandoni: Modelling and identification for carbon dioxide post-combustion capture by amines supported on solid sorbents. 9th Annual Conference on Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Pittsburgh-Pennsylvania (USA), 2010.
Bittanti S., L. Calloni, A. De Marco, M. Notaro, V. Prandoni, A. Valsecchi: A process for CO2 post combustion capture based on amine supported on solid pellets, IFAC Symposium on Advanced Control of Chemical Processes - IFAC ADCHEM, Singapore, 2012.
Bisone L., S. Bittanti S., S. Canevese, A. De Marco, S. Garatti, M. Notaro, V. Prandoni: Modeling and Parameter Identification for CO 2 Post Combustion Capture by Amines Supported on Solid Sorbents. 19th IFAC World Congress, Cape Town (South Africa), 2014.
Bisone, L.; S. Bittanti, S. M. Canevese, A. De Marco, S. Garatti, M. Notaro, V. Prandoni: A post-combustion carbon capture process by amines supported on solid pellets - with estimation of kinetic parameters. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol. 54, p. 2743 – 2762, 2015.
- Advanced control schemes in gas compression stations for improving fuel efficiency:
Cortinovis A., Zovadelli M., Mercangoez M., Pareschi D., De Marco A., Bittanti S.: Online adaptation of performance maps for centrifugal gas compressors, 13th European Control Conference, ECC 2014; Strasbourg (France), p. 1036-1041, 2014.
Pareschi D., Bittanti S., Cortinovis A., Mercangoez M.: Production optimization and emissions reduction by adaptive load sharing of turbo-compressors, 12th Offshore Mediterranean Conference, OMC 2015, Ravenna (Italy).
