Fitting of parameters for a temperature control model by means of continuous derivative-free optimization: a case study in a broiler house

Intensive broiler production requires of accurate control systems aimed to maintain ideal conditions inside the facilities. The achievement of an appropriate environment guarantees good performance and sustainability of the production. Control and monitoring of temperature is a key factor during the production cycle. In countries with tropical and subtropical climate, such as Brazil, high values of temperatures can affect negatively the broiler production. Based on a temperature control model developed by the authors, this research is focused on the determination and fitting of the intrinsic parameters of the model. Consecutive executions of the model and changes in the facilities suggest adapting parameters constantly under the perspective of real-time systems. Four strategies of derivative-free optimization were applied to adjust the parameters of the model. Experiments were conducted with data collected from a pilot farm in South-eastern Brazil. Results demonstrated that the process of updating parameters needs to be implemented on the temperature control model. BOBYQA method resulted to be the best strategy to be taken into consideration for the improvement of the system.