Model calibration of a variable refrigerant flow system with a dedicated outdoor air system: A case study

Kim, Dongsu; Cox, Sam J.; Cho, Heejin; Im, Piljae

doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.10.049

Title: Model calibration of a variable refrigerant flow system with a dedicated outdoor air system: A case study

Journal Article · Mon Oct 16 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Energy and Buildings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.10.049· OSTI ID:1409253

Kim, Dongsu ^[1]; Cox, Sam J. ^[1]; Cho, Heejin ^[1];

^[2]

Mississippi State Univ., Starkville, MS (United States)
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

With increased use of variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems in the U.S. building sector, interests in capability and rationality of various building energy modeling tools to simulate VRF systems are rising. This paper presents the detailed procedures for model calibration of a VRF system with a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) by comparing to detailed measured data from an occupancy emulated small office building. The building energy model is first developed based on as-built drawings, and building and system characteristics available. The whole building energy modeling tool used for the study is U.S. DOE’s EnergyPlus version 8.1. The initial model is, then, calibrated with the hourly measured data from the target building and VRF-DOAS system. In a detailed calibration procedures of the VRF-DOAS, the original EnergyPlus source code is modified to enable the modeling of the specific VRF-DOAS installed in the building. After a proper calibration during cooling and heating seasons, the VRF-DOAS model can reasonably predict the performance of the actual VRF-DOAS system based on the criteria from ASHRAE Guideline 14-2014. The calibration results show that hourly CV-RMSE and NMBE would be 15.7% and 3.8%, respectively, which is deemed to be calibrated. As a result, the whole-building energy usage after calibration of the VRF-DOAS model is 1.9% (78.8 kWh) lower than that of the measurements during comparison period.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

View Accepted Manuscript (Publisher)

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 1409253

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1549388

Journal Information:: Energy and Buildings, Vol. 158, Issue C; ISSN 0378-7788

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Citation Metrics:

Cited by: 22 works

Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (24)

Achieving better energy-efficient air conditioning – A review of technologies and strategies Chua, K. J.; Chou, S. K.; Yang, W. M. Applied Energy, Vol. 104 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.10.037	journal	April 2013
Variable refrigerant flow systems: A review Aynur, Tolga N. Energy and Buildings, Vol. 42, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.01.024	journal	July 2010
Energy simulation in the variable refrigerant flow air-conditioning system under cooling conditions Zhou, Y. P.; Wu, J. Y.; Wang, R. Z. Energy and Buildings, Vol. 39, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2006.06.005	journal	February 2007
Comparative study of the cooling energy performance of variable refrigerant flow systems and variable air volume systems in office buildings Yu, Xinqiao; Yan, Da; Sun, Kaiyu Applied Energy, Vol. 183 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.09.033	journal	December 2016
Simulation comparison of VAV and VRF air conditioning systems in an existing building for the cooling season Aynur, Tolga N.; Hwang, Yunho; Radermacher, Reinhard Energy and Buildings, Vol. 41, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2009.05.011	journal	November 2009
Experimental investigation on cooling performance of multi-split variable refrigerant flow system with microchannel condenser under part load conditions Meng, Jianjun; Liu, Min; Zhang, Wenqiang Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 81 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.02.007	journal	April 2015
Capacity modulation of an inverter-driven multi-air conditioner using electronic expansion valves Choi, J. M.; Kim, Y. C. Energy, Vol. 28, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0360-5442(02)00113-5	journal	February 2003
Generic simulation model of multi-evaporator variable refrigerant flow air conditioning system for control analysis Zhu, Yonghua; Jin, Xinqiao; Du, Zhimin International Journal of Refrigeration, Vol. 36, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2013.04.019	journal	September 2013
Integration of variable refrigerant flow and heat pump desiccant systems for the cooling season Aynur, Tolga N.; Hwang, Yunho; Radermacher, Reinhard Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 30, Issue 8-9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2010.01.002	journal	June 2010
Performance simulation of a joint solid desiccant heat pump and variable refrigerant flow air conditioning system in EnergyPlus Jiang, Yu; Ge, Tianshu; Wang, Ruzhu Energy and Buildings, Vol. 65 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2013.06.005	journal	October 2013
Investigation on output capacity control strategy of variable refrigerant flow air conditioning system with multi-compressor Tu, Qiu; Zou, Deqiu; Deng, Chenmian Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 99 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.12.102	journal	April 2016
Model-based multi-objective optimal control of a VRF (variable refrigerant flow) combined system with DOAS (dedicated outdoor air system) using genetic algorithm under heating conditions Kim, Wonuk; Jeon, Seung Won; Kim, Yongchan Energy, Vol. 107 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2016.03.139	journal	July 2016
Simulation of variable refrigerant flow air conditioning system in heating mode combined with outdoor air processing unit Zhu, Yonghua; Jin, Xinqiao; Du, Zhimin Energy and Buildings, Vol. 68 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2013.09.042	journal	January 2014
Modeling and energy simulation of the variable refrigerant flow air conditioning system with water-cooled condenser under cooling conditions Li, Yueming; Wu, Jingyi; Shiochi, Sumio Energy and Buildings, Vol. 41, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2009.04.002	journal	September 2009
Experimental validation of the simulation module of the water-cooled variable refrigerant flow system under cooling operation Li, Yue Ming; Wu, Jing Yi; Shiochi, Sumio Applied Energy, Vol. 87, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2009.09.018	journal	May 2010
Development and validation of a new variable refrigerant flow system model in EnergyPlus Hong, Tianzhen; Sun, Kaiyu; Zhang, Rongpeng Energy and Buildings, Vol. 117 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.09.023	journal	April 2016
A review of methods to match building energy simulation models to measured data Coakley, Daniel; Raftery, Paul; Keane, Marcus Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 37 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.05.007	journal	September 2014
Calibrating whole building energy models: An evidence-based methodology Raftery, Paul; Keane, Marcus; O’Donnell, James Energy and Buildings, Vol. 43, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2011.05.020	journal	September 2011
Calibration Procedure for Energy Performance Simulation of a Commercial Building Yoon, Jongho; Lee, E. J.; Claridge, D. E. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, Vol. 125, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1564076	journal	August 2003
Building model calibration using energy and environmental data Royapoor, Mohammad; Roskilly, Tony Energy and Buildings, Vol. 94 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.02.050	journal	May 2015
Stepwise deterministic and stochastic calibration of an energy simulation model for an existing building Kim, Young-Jin; Park, Cheol-Soo Energy and Buildings, Vol. 133 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.10.009	journal	December 2016
Model calibration for building energy efficiency simulation Mustafaraj, Giorgio; Marini, Dashamir; Costa, Andrea Applied Energy, Vol. 130 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.05.019	journal	October 2014
A pattern-based automated approach to building energy model calibration Sun, Kaiyu; Hong, Tianzhen; Taylor-Lange, Sarah C. Applied Energy, Vol. 165 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.12.026	journal	March 2016
Development of an automatic calibration method of a VRF energy model for the design of energy efficient buildings Yun, Geun Young; Song, Kwanwoo Energy and Buildings, Vol. 135 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.11.060	journal	January 2017

Cited By (1)

Modelling of a Variable Refrigerant Flow System in EnergyPlus for Building Energy Simulation in an Open Building Information Modelling Environment Torregrosa-Jaime, Bárbara; Martínez, Pedro J.; González, Benjamín Energies, Vol. 12, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.3390/en12010022	journal	December 2018

Similar Records

Energy Performance Assessment of Radiant Cooling System through Modeling and Calibration at Component Level

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2016 · OSTI ID:1409253

Khan, Yasin; Mathur, Jyotirmay; Bhandari, Mahabir S

End-Use Savings Shapes Measure Documentation: Variable Refrigerant Flow with Heat Recovery and Dedicated Outdoor Air System

Technical Report · Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · OSTI ID:1409253

Kim, Janghyun; CaraDonna, Chris; Parker, Andrew

Technical Subtopic 2.1: Modeling Variable Refrigerant Flow Heat Pump and Heat Recovery Equipment in EnergyPlus

Technical Report · Mon Sep 30 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · OSTI ID:1409253

Raustad, Richard; Nigusse, Bereket; Domitrovic, Ron

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
Variable refrigerant flow
Dedicated outdoor air system
Building simulation
Calibration

Title: Model calibration of a variable refrigerant flow system with a dedicated outdoor air system: A case study

Citation Formats

References (24)

Cited By (1)

Similar Records

Related Subjects