Simulation Model of Automated HVAC System Control Strategy With Thermal Comfort and Occupancy Considerations Conference Paper uri icon

abstract

  • Currently, design and control of HVAC system in buildings rely heavily on simulation tools. However, the common tools available often fail to optimize occupants comfort directly, nor do they consider real-time variations in occupancy that affect comfort and energy performance. To address these limits, this research designed an occupancy-based and thermal comfort-driven building automation simulation model. A single-space prototype lab room was co-simulated using EnergyPlus and MATLAB with the help of BCVTB and MLE+ as middleware. Various climate scenarios from four cities in the U.S. in different seasons were examined. Results suggest that overall, compared to a conventional temperature-driven control strategy baseline, the proposed system can minimize thermal comfort violation (in term of PMV model, |PMV|>0.5 is considered as a violation) to 7% and reduce occupants thermal discomfort by 62.5% on average. Meanwhile, energy consumption remains same or reduced (up to 2% reduction). Due to its simplicity, this strategy is relatively easy to implement in real-world building automation systems with appropriate sensor placement in modern buildings.

name of conference

  • Volume 3: Manufacturing Equipment and Systems

published proceedings

  • Volume 3: Manufacturing Equipment and Systems

author list (cited authors)

  • Peng, B. o., & Hsieh, S.

citation count

  • 2

complete list of authors

  • Peng, Bo||Hsieh, Sheng-Jen

publication date

  • June 2017