9410114 Carlson Designing multi-energy systems that have transient performance specifications is a time consuming undertaking that requires a wide range of knowledge, including system design, modeling, dynamic analysis, computer programming, and optimization. The purpose of this research effort is to reduce the time required to design and optimize these types of systems by addressing the area of catalog design. In catalog design an engineer will develop a configuration using component types to perform a given task or function. Once the configuration has been determined, specific components from manufacturers' catalogs are selected so that the system performs the desired task as specified by the design specifications. The goal of this research is to develop methodology to design a configuration and select an optimal set of components for this configuration to perform a specified task. The resulting methodology will be tested on a computer system. The success of the research will represent a step forward in the development of more widely applicable computer-aided design tools, as the methodology developed should apply across a wide range of systems and should handle systems with transient performance specifications.
