Public defence: Juan Ignacio Videla

Juan Ignacio Videla is defending his PhD degree. The thesis is about increasing the efficiency and reliability of micro-cogeneration systems under uncertainty.

26 Nov

Practical information

  • Date: 26 November 2024
  • Time: 10.00 - 15.00
  • Location: Porsgrunn, Room A-271
  • Download calendar file

    • Zoom link for digital participation 

     

    Program 

    10.00: Trial lecture.

    12.30: Public defence: Modeling, Estimation, and Control of a Microcogeneration system.

    Evaluation comittee  

    • First opponent: Professor Lars Eriksson at Linköping University
    • Second opponent: Professor Jan Tommy Gravdahl at Norwegian University of Science and Technology
    • Administrator: Associate Professor Roshan Sharma at University of South-Eastern Norway 

    Supervisors

    • Main supervisor: Professor Bernt Lie at University of South-Eastern Norway 
    • Co-supervisor: Professor Nils-Olav Skeie at University of South-Eastern Norway 
Any questions?

Juan Ignacio Videla is defending his thesis for the degree philosophiae doctor (PhD) at the University of South-Eastern Norway.

Portrait of Juan with dark hair and beard, light shirt

The doctoral work has been carried out at the Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences in the program Process, Energy and Automation Engineering.

You are invited to follow the trial lecture and the public defence.

Summary

Micro-cogeneration systems offer a way to produce both electricity and heat simultaneously and locally. As micro-cogeneration systems gain traction in residential and commercial applications due to their high efficiency, the need for effective control strategies becomes paramount.

This thesis presents a dynamic model for control design that integrates several key components: a continuous mean value combustion engine model (MVEM), a direct-quadrature current frame for a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG), and interconnected models for the engine's thermal dynamics and heat recovery circuit (HRC).

The model parameters are evaluated in two ways: first, it is checked whether the parameters can be found from the model structure itself (structural identifiability), and second, it is checked whether the parameters can be accurately determined using experimental data (practical identifiability). These evaluations are crucial to ensure that the model is both theoretically sound and practically applicable.

To address the challenges of operating micro-cogeneration systems, advanced control strategies relying on feedback linearization and backstepping are developed. These strategies are designed to ensure the system's performance and robustness under various uncertainties. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of these controllers across various operating conditions, highlighting their ability to manage the complex operation and design of micro-cogeneration systems.

These findings underscore the importance of robust control strategies in enhancing the reliability and efficiency of these advanced energy systems.