Functional mock-up unit for co-simulation import in EnergyPlus

This article describes the development and implementation of the functional mock-up unit (FMU) for co-simulation import interface in EnergyPlus. This new capability allows EnergyPlus to conduct co-simulation with various simulation programs that are packaged as FMUs. For example, one can model an innovative Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system and its controls in Modelica, export the HVAC system and the control algorithm as an FMU, and link it to a model of the building envelope in EnergyPlus for run-time data exchange. The formal of FMUs is specified in the functional mock-up interface (FMI) standard, an open standard designed to enable links between disparate simulation programs. An FMU may contain models, model description, source code, and executable programs for multiple platforms. A master simulator – in this case, EnergyPlus – imports and simulates the FMUs, controlling simulation time and coordinating the exchange of data between the different FMUs. This article describes the mathematical basis of the FMI standard, discusses its application to EnergyPlus, and describes the architecture of the EnergyPlus implementation. It then presents a typical workflow, including pre-processing and co-simulation. The article concludes by presenting two use cases in which models of a ventilation system and a shading controller are imported in EnergyPlus as an FMU.

[1]  D. A. van Beek,et al.  SUBSTITUTE EQUATIONS FOR INDEX REDUCTION AND DISCONTINUITY HANDLING , 2000 .

[2]  Michael Wetter,et al.  Co-simulation of building energy and control systems with the Building Controls Virtual Test Bed , 2011 .

[3]  Jlm Jan Hensen,et al.  Comparison of coupled and decoupled solutions for temperature and air flow in a building , 1999 .

[4]  PF Linden,et al.  Use of simulation in the design of a large, naturally ventilated office building , 2004 .

[5]  Daniel E. Fisher,et al.  EnergyPlus: creating a new-generation building energy simulation program , 2001 .

[6]  Zhiqiang John Zhai,et al.  Performance of coupled building energy and CFD simulations , 2005 .

[7]  Sebastian Herkel,et al.  Black-box models for fault detection and performance monitoring of buildings , 2010 .

[8]  Gail Brager,et al.  Comfort standards and variations in exceedance for mixed-mode buildings , 2011 .

[9]  Qingyan Chen,et al.  On approaches to couple energy simulation and computational fluid dynamics programs , 2002 .

[10]  Phillip John Jones,et al.  Case study of zero energy house design in UK , 2009 .

[11]  Jian Zhang,et al.  Achieving the 30% Goal: Energy and Cost Savings Analysis of ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2010 , 2011 .

[12]  G Carrilho da Graça,et al.  Design and testing of a control strategy for a large, naturally ventilated office building , 2004 .

[13]  Katie A. Adamson,et al.  USE OF SIMULATION , 2015 .

[14]  Michael Wetter,et al.  A framework for simulation-based real-time whole building performance assessment , 2012 .

[15]  Jonas W. Ringsberg,et al.  A comparison of coupled and de-coupled simulation procedures for the fatigue analysis of wave energy converter mooring lines , 2016 .