Airbase publication

In this work, we present a new managament strategy for a ground coupled HVAC system in a cooling dominated office area. The idea is disminish the electrical consumption while keeping the thermal comfort requirements. This objective is achieved by means of the proper management of some parameters of the system: the air mass flow in the fan, the mass water flow in the internal and external hydraulic circuit and the set point temperature in the water to water heat pump.

This paper discusses the development of a new module in EnergyPlus that predicts the cooling performance of PDEC towers with sprays. It introduces an overview of PDEC towers and existing models. A simulation model is employed to design and evaluate PDEC towers, and its modelling algorithm in EnergyPlus is described. An analysis of the capability in different climates and the energy performance of PDEC towers has been performed by using the model implemented, and the main results from various case studies are presented.

This study developed a component-based gray-box model for variable refrigerant flow (VRF) airconditioning systems to simulate and predict the performance and energy consumption of VRF system in cooling condition. Results from the testing of Daikin’s 10HP VRV system with six indoor units, as well as the manufacturer’s data, were used to fit the key parameters of each component in this VRF model. This model was integrated in the building energy simulation software DeST and was validated by using data both from Daikin’s product handbook and from tested results.

The present paper describes heat pump systems and their energy efficiency. In the first part of the paper the modelling of heat pump system is presented. In a second part a parameter study is discussed which takes into account the hydraulic circuit (serial / parallel hydraulic circuit of the storage tank) of the heat pump system and control strategies used for its operation.

Subtask 1 of the IEA ECBCS Annex 41 (IEA 2007) project had the purpose to advance development in modelling of integral Heat, Air and Moisture (HAM) transfer processes that take place in “whole buildings”. Such modelling considers all relevant elements of buildings: The indoor air, building envelope, inside constructions, furnishing, systems and users. The building elements interact with each other and with the outside climate.

Building physics processes in some parts and elements of revitalized historical buildings play an important role in their future energy efficiency and maintenance. The unique character of 100-years-old post-industrial buildings results from masonry-brick façades with precise ornamentation and sophisticated details which should be retained and reconstructed in renovation works. Any changes in wall properties, such as the addition of new layers (insulation, rendering or plaster), are at variance with cultural heritage protection.

This paper gives an onset to whole building hygrothermal modelling of the interaction between interior and exterior climates via building enclosures, which even takes into account wind-driven rain (WDR). First, the temporal and spatial distribution of WDR on the facades of a single leaf brick wall building is numerically determined. Then the hygrothermal behaviour of the walls and the room zone is numerically analysed. The results show that WDR loads can have significant impacts on the indoor climate, energy consumption and mould growth risk.

The high importance of indoor environment performance aspects such as surface condensation, mold growth, thermal comfort, etc., is widely recognized. High-resolution simulation of heat, air and moisture (HAM) transfer can be used to enhance the prediction and analysis of these aspects. For this purpose, a coupling mechanism has been developed in order to perform run-time external coupling between Building Energy simulation (BES) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). This paper presents the results of indoor humidity calculation using the new coupled tool for the BESTEST case- 600.

This paper discusses a procedure for the two-way run time external coupling between Building Energy Simulation (BES) and building envelope Heat, Air and Moisture (HAM) programs for enhanced whole building simulation. The coupling procedure presented here involves a description of the relevant physical phenomena at the interface between the programs, domain overlaps, coupling variables, coupling strategy and types of boundary condition. The procedure is applied using the programs ESP-r and HAMFEM, where the implementation and verification issues are discussed.

A simulation model was developed for energy consumption in Japan’s residential sector. This model classifies households into 912 categories by household type, building type, and house insulation level. The total energy consumption in the Japanese residential sector was evaluated along with the effect of introducing various energy saving systems, including introducing new-generation water heaters such as heat pumps, cogeneration, and other systems. Except for photovoltaic generation, these systems are competitive.