Novel Hardware-in-the-Loop Approach for Thermal Systems
Abstract
Hardware-in-the-Loop is a method that allows the real-time testing of complex systems. A physical system can be analyzed using a programmable logic controller and a simulation-based periphery. In this paper, a Hardware-in-the-loop system using a LabVIEW controlled thermal test bench as well as a MATLAB simulation is presented. The LabVIEW program is able to take over the communication with the physical system and the simulation. The discrete time steps between each simulation call and test bench control are to be minimized to allow a near-continuous operation and control of the physical system. A heat pump-based domestic heating system was tested to analyze this approach. The test bench controls the volume flows and temperatures according to the current demand for space heating and domestic hot water from the simulation. By applying this software-based approach, no external programmable logic controllers are necessary for realistic testing of thermal systems and, therefore, extends the applicability of the Hardware-in-the-loop testing approach.