AI-empowered chiller plant optimization at Midea

Project Overview

Midea Headquarters located in Foshan, Guangdong, spans a construction area of 96,000 square meters, was originally served by a central cooling plant with five water-cooled chillers (total capacity: 11,039 kW), where typical floors are supported by an AHU + VAV system covering 430 square meters. Prior to the upgrade, the air conditioning system relied on manual, experience-based adjustments for chiller operation and temperature setpoints, resulting in unstable performance and low energy efficiency.

Project Highlights

Advanced Technologies and AI Models

The project our proprietary Smart Building Energy Management Platform, implemented in Mixed Reality platform to align digital building models with real-world systems, enabling real-time data visualization, model visualization, indoor navigation, and remote control within an immersive environment. The key technology employed on utilizing graph neural network-based spatio-temporal indoor environment prediction and optimal control for air-side systems and AI-Driven chiller sequencing optimization with chilled water supply temperature reset for chiller plant.

Energy Efficiency and Savings

For air side systems, this platform addresses comfort challenges, notably alleviating uneven temperature distribution in large spaces. The results have been significant, with the time achieving first-class thermal comfort levels increased by 122%.

For the chiller plant, the AI-driven optimization system delivered significant energy and cost savings, achieving an average daily energy reduction of 27.9% and average daily cost savings of 3,021 CNY.

Platform Visualization and User Interface

The self-developed MR technology is integrated to align digital building models with real-world systems, enabling real-time data visualization, model visualization, indoor navigation, and remote control within an immersive environment.

Acknowledgments

This innovative project was supported by prominent research initiatives, including the 2020 National Key R&D Program of China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF), underscoring its significance in developing smart energy management technologies for complex buildings in high-density urban environments.