Operator learning for energy-efficient building ventilation control with computational fluid dynamics simulation of a real-world classroom

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Bian, Yuexin, Schmidt, Oliver, Shi, Yuanyuan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Bian, Yuexin
Schmidt, Oliver
Shi, Yuanyuan
author_facet Bian, Yuexin
Schmidt, Oliver
Shi, Yuanyuan
contents Energy-efficient ventilation control plays a vital role in reducing building energy consumption while ensuring occupant health and comfort. While Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations provide detailed and physically accurate representation of indoor airflow, their high computational cost limits their use in real-time building control. In this work, we present a neural operator learning framework that combines the physical accuracy of CFD with the computational efficiency of machine learning to enable building ventilation control with the high-fidelity fluid dynamics models. Our method jointly optimizes the airflow supply rates and vent angles to reduce energy use and adhere to air quality constraints. We train an ensemble of neural operator transformer models to learn the mapping from building control actions to airflow fields using high-resolution CFD data. This learned neural operator is then embedded in an optimization-based control framework for building ventilation control. Experimental results show that our approach achieves significant energy savings compared to maximum airflow rate control, rule-based control, as well as data-driven control methods using spatially averaged CO2 prediction and deep learning based reduced order model, while consistently maintaining safe indoor air quality. These results highlight the practicality and scalability of our method in maintaining energy efficiency and indoor air quality in real-world buildings.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_21243
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Operator learning for energy-efficient building ventilation control with computational fluid dynamics simulation of a real-world classroom
Bian, Yuexin
Schmidt, Oliver
Shi, Yuanyuan
Systems and Control
Machine Learning
Energy-efficient ventilation control plays a vital role in reducing building energy consumption while ensuring occupant health and comfort. While Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations provide detailed and physically accurate representation of indoor airflow, their high computational cost limits their use in real-time building control. In this work, we present a neural operator learning framework that combines the physical accuracy of CFD with the computational efficiency of machine learning to enable building ventilation control with the high-fidelity fluid dynamics models. Our method jointly optimizes the airflow supply rates and vent angles to reduce energy use and adhere to air quality constraints. We train an ensemble of neural operator transformer models to learn the mapping from building control actions to airflow fields using high-resolution CFD data. This learned neural operator is then embedded in an optimization-based control framework for building ventilation control. Experimental results show that our approach achieves significant energy savings compared to maximum airflow rate control, rule-based control, as well as data-driven control methods using spatially averaged CO2 prediction and deep learning based reduced order model, while consistently maintaining safe indoor air quality. These results highlight the practicality and scalability of our method in maintaining energy efficiency and indoor air quality in real-world buildings.
title Operator learning for energy-efficient building ventilation control with computational fluid dynamics simulation of a real-world classroom
topic Systems and Control
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.21243