Energy-efficient Pump Control in Industrial Cooling Water Systems Using a Multi-Agent System

Nations worldwide are facing the challenge of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Thermal energy supply systems in industrial companies account for 75 % of their final energy demand, and are therefore of particular importance. Regarding thermal energy distribution, 3 % of the industrial final energy demand is used for pumps. Especially in cooling water systems, the largest share of energy demand accounts for pumping systems. Currently, industry usually uses operating strategies that provide pressure control without considering individual pump operating points and efficiencies. However, research shows that more intelligent operating strategies can improve the energy efficiency of such systems significantly. Therefore, this paper presents a collaborative multi-agent approach to control the pumping system in a central cooling water system considering the energy efficiency of each pump agent. This approach is compared with a conventional operating strategy using a centralized, rule-based decision making process to control the system's feed pressure.