Adaptive Receding Horizon Control of a Distributed Collector Solar Field

This paper presents an adaptive receding horizon control algorithm for a distributed collector solar field which explicitly explores its distributed parameter character. The plant considered is a distributed collector solar field, being described by a nonlinear hyperbolic partial differential equation (PDE) which models the temperature dynamics. A lumped parameter model is obained by applying Orthogonal Collocation. This model is then used as a basis for controller design. Stability is ensured for the lumped parameter model by resorting to Control Lyapunov function methods. Simulation results using a detailed physically based simulator of the solar field are provided.