A General Method to Compare Different Co-simulation Interfaces: Demonstration on a Case Study

A method is presented to compare different co-simulation interfaces. The comparison assesses user-friendliness and flexibility, computational costs and accuracy. Interfaces corresponding to different versions of loose and strong coupling are discussed. The specific implementations include the Functional Mockup Interface (FMI), the Building Controls Virtual Test Bed (BCVTB) and a Component Object Model (COM). A case study is introduced to present the method in a pedagogical way. The case study includes a compact thermal energy storage modelled in Trnsys and a heat sink modelled in Simulink. Generalizations of the method to realistic full-scale co-simulations are proposed.

[1]  Andreas Junghanns,et al.  The Functional Mockup Interface for Tool independent Exchange of Simulation Models , 2011 .

[2]  G. Engel.  Sorption cold storage for thermal management of the battery of a hybrid vehicle , 2018, Energy Procedia.

[3]  M Marija Trcka,et al.  Co-simulation for performance prediction of innovative integrated mechanical energy systems in buildings , 2008 .

[4]  Leon Urbas,et al.  Life Cycle Simulation for a Process Plant based on a Two-Dimensional Co-Simulation Approach , 2015 .

[5]  Gerald Schweiger,et al.  Co-simulation Between Trnsys and Simulink Based on Type155 , 2017, SEFM Workshops.

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

[7]  T. Fuller,et al.  A Critical Review of Thermal Issues in Lithium-Ion Batteries , 2011 .

[8]  Bernhard Heinzl,et al.  An Investigation on Loose Coupling Co-Simulation with the BCVTB , 2013, Simul. Notes Eur..

[9]  Peter Lund,et al.  Review of energy system flexibility measures to enable high levels of variable renewable electricity , 2015 .

[10]  Jonas Allegrini,et al.  A review of modelling approaches and tools for the simulation of district-scale energy systems , 2015 .

[11]  Martin Arnold,et al.  Error Analysis and Error Estimates for Co-Simulation in FMI for Model Exchange and Co-Simulation V2.0 , 2013 .

[12]  Henner Kerskes,et al.  An experimental investigation of a realistic-scale seasonal solar adsorption storage system for buildings , 2017 .

[13]  Gerald Schweiger,et al.  A Comparison of Co-Simulation Interfaces between Trnsys and Simulink: A Thermal Engineering Case Study , 2018 .

[14]  Gerald Schweiger,et al.  A Methodology to Compare Different Co-simulation Interfaces: A Thermal Engineering Case Study , 2017, SIMULTECH.

[15]  E. Glueckauf,et al.  Theory of chromatography. Part 10.—Formulæ for diffusion into spheres and their application to chromatography , 1955 .

[16]  M. Dubinin,et al.  Adsorption in micropores , 1967 .

[17]  Georg Engel,et al.  Simulation of a seasonal, solar-driven sorption storage heating system , 2017 .

[18]  Gerald Schweiger,et al.  The potential of power-to-heat in Swedish district heating systems , 2017 .

[19]  Thierry S. Nouidui,et al.  Design Choices for Thermofluid Flow Components and Systems that are Exported as Functional Mockup Units , 2015 .

[20]  Ercan Atam,et al.  Current software barriers to advanced model-based control design for energy-efficient buildings , 2017 .

[21]  Michael Wetter,et al.  Co-simulation of innovative integrated HVAC systems in buildings , 2009 .

[22]  David Broman,et al.  Co-simulation: State of the art , 2017, ArXiv.