CPS Medium: Collaborative Research: Physics-Informed Learning and Control of Passive and Hybrid Conditioning Systems in Buildings

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This Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) project will develop advanced artificial intelligence and machine-learning (AI/ML) techniques to harness the extensive untapped climatic resources that exist for direct solar heating, natural ventilation, and radiative and evaporative cooling in buildings. Although these mechanisms for building environment conditioning are colloquially termed "passive," their performance depends strongly on the intelligent control of operable elements such as windows and shading, as well as fans in hybrid systems. Towards this goal, this project will create design methodologies for climate- and occupant-responsive strategies that control these operable elements intelligently in coordination with existing building heating ventilation and air conditioning systems, based on sensor measurements of the indoor and outdoor environments, weather and energy forecasts, occupancy, and occupant preferences. The solutions developed in this project can potentially result in substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions generated from space heating, cooling, and ventilation. The developed techniques may be particularly valuable in affordable housing by reducing energy costs under normal conditions and improving passive survivability during extreme events and power outages.Specifically, this project will create intelligent passive and hybrid conditioning systems that optimally leverage climatic resources in the form of temperate outdoor air and sunlight, harness these resources at the building envelope and redistribute them within the building’s microclimates, and learn to respond to changing weather and evolving occupant needs. The project will advance foundational analysis and design tools for a class of physics-informed machine learning models for systems governed by local energy and mass conservation laws. These so-called locally interactive bilinear flow models have broad applicability beyond the specific physical building systems studied in this project. From a fundamental cyber physical systems standpoint, the researchers will establish analytical certificates for learning and control algorithms designed for this class of systems, bridging the gap between purely data-driven strategies and physics-based models. Finally, the project will provide a systematic mechanism to evaluate climate resources available through the intelligent operation of passive systems, bridging a key gap in current understanding. Demonstrations in occupied buildings will provide key insights and evidence to support the applicability of the researched tools in the real world. This effort will also develop and present educational modules to attract middle and high school students to encourage careers in sustainable engineering through the RPI Engineering Ambassadors program; at the same time, project outcomes will also support community engagement with science and technology through the University of Oregon Sustainable City Year program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.