Sawant, ParantapaHo, EricPfafferott, Jens2024-08-122024-08-1220202405-844010.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03249https://irf.fhnw.ch/handle/11654/46639https://doi.org/10.26041/fhnw-9696Cooling towers or recoolers are one of the major consumers of electricity in a HVAC plant. The implementation and analysis of advanced control methods in a practical application and its comparison with conventional controllers is necessary to establish a framework for their feasibility especially in the field of decentralised energy systems. A standard industrial controller, a PID and a model based controller were developed and tested in an experimental set-up using market-ready components. The characteristics of these controllers such as settling time, control difference, and frequency of control actions are compared based on the monitoring data. Modern controllers demonstrated clear advantages in terms of energy savings and higher accuracy and a model based controller was easier to set-up than a PID.enSystems engineeringEnergyControl system designEnergy conservationEnergy use in buildingMechanical systemsProcess modelingCooling tower process controlControl engineering applicationsExperimental analysisModel based control624 - Ingenieurbau und Umwelttechnik01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift