Solar furnace temperature control with active cooling

摘要

The article describes a control architecture for solar furnaces where active cooling is employed to improve the tracking of a time-varying temperature reference. This capability is important during the decreasing phase of the temperature reference where heat loss must be increased. The results of two different control methodologies, exact linearization and model predictive control with integral action, are shown with active cooling that is done in coordination with the command of the shutter which adjusts the solar incident power.