Fault detection systems and methods for self-optimizing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning controls

1. A method for detecting a fault in a process system, the method comprising:

modifying an input of the process system with a modifying signal, wherein the modifying signal is a periodic signal;

monitoring an output of the process system for a signal component corresponding to a function of the modifying signal, wherein the output provides a performance measure of the process system;

optimizing the process system utilizing the output, wherein the optimization is conducted according to an extremum seeking control strategy, wherein the process system comprises an air handling unit configured to regulate temperature using a temperature regulator, wherein the air handling unit comprises a damper controlled by an actuator;

controlling the temperature regulator;

utilizing the extremum seeking control strategy to operate the actuator by providing a second control signal to the actuator, wherein the second control signal is the input of the process system modified by the modifying signal; and

determining whether a fault exists based on at least one of a reduction of the signal component and an unexpected transformation of the signal component;

wherein the process system is operated using a closed-loop system and is subject to feedback control and wherein the modifying signal comprises a dither signal provided to the input as a part of the extremum seeking control strategy.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the output is used by the feedback control and by the extremum seeking control strategy.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dither signal is at least one of rectangular, triangular, ellipsoidal, and sinusoidal.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising: extracting the signal component from the output using a filter network.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein determining that the fault exists based on at least one of a reduction of the signal component and an unexpected transformation of the signal component comprises at least one of:

(a) comparing the signal component to a threshold power level; and

(b) comparing a phase of the signal component to an expected phase.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein monitoring for the output of the process system for a signal component corresponding to a function of the modifying signal comprises at least one of:

(a) extracting the signal component from the output using a filter configured with a passband near that of an angular frequency component of the modifying signal;

(b) conducting a frequency domain analysis of the output using a fast Fourier transform; and

(c) conducting a time-domain analysis of the output using a zero-cross detection method.