A simple model of a heating system with a compensator control

Abstract

This paper takes the standard steady state heat supply and loss equations used in many heating textbooks and applies them to a compensator controlled heating system. It then develops the equations to consider casual gains. Sensitivity analysis is carried out on emitter and boiler sizes. It is found that: heating systems without internal sensors can utilise up to 30% of casual heat gains to reduce system heat output; that the heat emitter size is of key importance to efficient control; that a nonlinear compensator algorithm is required to maintain constant room temperatures. To show the effectiveness of a compensator, a system with a compensator is hypothetically compared with one with only a boiler thermostat at a constant setting.