[EnergyPlus_Support] Re: Using EnergyPlus for natural ventilation simulation

["cia08jss" <cia08jss@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Thank you all for your replies.

With regard to other coupled tools such as TRNSYS-COMIS and TRNSYSY-CONTAM, would they have any advantage over using E+? I have a small amount of experience using CONTAM but have never carried out coupled calculations, which are required for this project. I'm very much at an early stage and am trying to ensure that I choose the best software for my requirements. As well as quality of results ease of use would also be an important factor as ideally I don't want to have to spend months learning to use tools. Would any of the alternatives to using E+ have a less steep learning curve?


--- In EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "lisacng" <lisa.ng@...> wrote:
>
> Just wanted to clarify some things:
> 
> The Airflow Network (AFN) capability within EnergyPlus is based on AIRNET (which is an old, limited version of CONTAM, still being maintained and developed at NIST). Airflow Network also has pieces of COMIS. 
> 
> AFN is cumbersome to setup, but if you have the energy file already set up, it is a matter of choosing surfaces and creating leakage elements to run a natural ventilation simulation. Since AFN is within E+, the airflow and thermal simulations are coupled, giving you a more accurate answer than if the simulations were separate. E+ will output temperature, airflow, and pressures. Other coupled tools are TRNSYS-COMIS and TRNSYS-CONTAM. 
> 
> CONTAM does not currently perform thermal calculations, but will certainly calculate airflows and pressures. CONTAM also has the capability to run CFD in a single zone, of which a detailed airflow calculation is needed.
> 
> Good luck!
> 
> Lisa  Ng
> NIST
> IAQ & Ventilation Group
> --- In EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Jean marais" <jeannieboef@> wrote:
> >
> > Check other threads on this forum. COMIS GUI--> CONTAM, also by NIST. AIRNET was not further developed (also by NIST) as far as I know. AFN is based on AIRNET. Other programs to checkout are TrnSys in combination with COMIS. CONTAM by itself is pretty good. DesignBuilder offers Eplus with AFN user interface as well as CFD (cubic modelling) which may be of value to you.
> > 
> > --- In EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Ooi" <ooi_kb3@> wrote:
> > >
> > > COMIS has been superseeded by AirFlowNetwork (AFN).
> > > 
> > > At PhD level, most probably you will be asked to justify your results. In other words, you would have to calibrate/validate the results of the simulations with AFN. This requires building models to verify the pressure coefficients. 
> > > 
> > > Just sharing what i think is PhD level
> > > ooi
> > > 
> > > --- In EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "cia08jss" <cia08jss@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Hi,
> > > > I'm studying natural ventilation at PhD level and am trying to assess which software would be most applicable. I am testing BMS codes and require information from computer simulation to feed into the BMS. EnergyPlus seems ideal in terms of the input criteria such as schedules, thermal loads etc. but I'm unsure if the output will be suitable. The output which I require from my simulations are zone temperatures, airflow rates (for each zone), pressures etc. Would EnergyPlus be able to produce this output or would additional software such as COMIS be needed?
> > > >
> > >
> >
>




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