An analysis of the hybrid internal mass modeling approach in EnergyPlus

Conference · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 2022

OSTI ID:2530625

Chen, Zhelun; Bushby, Steve; Lo, James; O'Neill, Zheng; Payne, Vance; Pertzborn, Amanda; Calfa, Caleb; Fu, Yangyang; Grajewski, Gabriel; Li, Yicheng; Yang, Zhiyao

Accurate simulation of building system dynamics is particularly important for understanding building energy flexibility. Among all dynamics in a building, a zone temperature’s variation is especially important, as it significantly affects a building’s electricity load profile when its heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is controlled with on/off cycles or setpoint reset strategies. To accurately simulate a zone temperature’s dynamics, internal mass needs to be modeled carefully. In this paper, we compare the two internal mass modeling approaches provided by EnergyPlus, i.e., internal mass object and zone air capacitance multiplier, to better understand their impacts on zone temperature simulation. Real building zone temperature dynamic data from small- and medium-sized office buildings are analyzed and compared with simulated data. In particular, we illustrate the effectiveness of a hybrid method of the two EnergyPlus modeling approaches, which yields more realistic zone temperature dynamics, especially when the zone is conditioned with heat pump systems with on/off cycling.

• Research Organization: Drexel University
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office
• DOE Contract Number: EE0009153
• OSTI ID: 2530625
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English