Coupling between a graphical simulation environment simulator and an optimisation algorithm

The main aim of this study is to derive some simple rules for an optimal management of direct electric heating in residential buildings. Optimal management should minimise the running cost of heating while maintaining comfort, in the case of control strategies involving intermittent heating. This study has been carried out with the help of numerical simulation in a graphical environment [1] in order to study the behaviour of a whole system, referred to as a simulator, which consists of the building zone, the heating system and the controller. We chose an optimisation function of a mathematical software [2] to determine the optimal value of the operating cost . The coupling between the simulator and the optimisation algorithm is done automatically during the simulation in order to determine the optimal management scenario. The relevance of the work lies in the coupling between the simulator and the optimisation algorithm. This coupling was made possible thanks to the structuring of the simulator following a modelling methodology and parametering rules developed by CSTB [3]. The methodology enabled an efficient modelling of the system to carry out the optimisation analysis automatically on a large number of cases. The analysis by "experiment plans" on the simulation results obtained allowed the definition of rules for the optimal management of direct electric heating. This paper mainly presents the modelling methodology implemented. It lays emphasis on the use of existing mathematical tools. It does not give the results of the study but analyses one of the stages of intermittent heating considered in the study.