Coupling of TRNSYS with Simulink – a method to automatically export and use TRNSYS models within Simulink and vice versa

A large variety of simulation environments exists for building and system simulation. Collaborative work is sometimes time-consuming since, in the different steps of building and system conception and optimization, different tools have to be used, each of them specifically dedicated to a particular problem: for example the overall conception of a building can be done using the TRNSYS simulation environment, while optimization of control strategies is likely to be done using the Matlab/Simulink simulation environment. The same system and building is thus modelled several times in order to be able to simulate in the different environments. This paper describes a methodology to export the models contained in the TRNSYS model library as well as non standard models (calles “types” in TRNSYS terminology) into the Simulink environment, and to use them in a Simulink model assembly. Almost any TRNSYS model can be used in the Simulink environment in this way. The paper illustrates the methodology for calling TRNSYS types within Matlab or Simulink and gives advices for integrating those models into existing model assemblies. An automatic routine for exporting TRNSYS types from the TRNSYS Simulation Studio is presented as well as validation examples for the coupling..