A feedforward IMC structure for controlling the charging temperature of a TES system of a solar cooker

A feedforward internal model control (IMC) structure for controlling and maintaining the outlet charging temperature of a thermal energy storage (TES) system of a solar cooker is presented. The TES system consists of a packed pebble bed in thermal contact with a heat transfer oil contained in a storage tank. An electrical hot plate simulates the collector/concentrator which heats up the oil circulating in a hollow copper spiral coil thus charging the storage. A model for the collector/concentrator system is developed to enable simulation of the feedforward IMC structure. Using a Simulink block model, the simulation results reveal that a feedforward IMC structure performs better than a feedforward structure. The feedforward IMC structure is tested experimentally and the performance of the control structure is acceptable within a few degrees of the set temperatures. Experimental results are also compared with the simulation results. The simulated responses are found to relate closely to the experimental ones and any discrepancies between the two are discussed. Furthermore, the feedforward IMC structure is also compared experimentally with a combined feedforward and PID feedback structure. Results of the comparison indicate that the feedforward IMC structure performs better than the combined feedforward and PID feedback structure. The thermal profile of the storage during the charging experiment with the feedforward IMC structure is also presented and the results obtained from the storage profile indicate that the storage tank is thermally stratified.