Adaptive Control for Flow and Volume Regulation in Multi-Producer District Heating Systems

Flow and storage volume regulation is essential for the adequate transport and management of energy resources in district heating systems. In this letter, we propose a novel and suitably tailored-decentralized-adaptive control scheme addressing this problem whilst offering closed-loop stability guarantees. We focus on a system configuration comprising multiple heat producers, consumers and storage tanks exchanging energy through a common distribution network, which are features of modern and prospective district heating installations. The proposed controller is based on passivity, backstepping and (indirect) adaptive control theory.