Having done a number of unusual things with EnergyPlus, I don’t think it is your complete solution. One problem is that it is not really possible to specify
time 0 conditions. I think you are better off with a 3d thermodynamic software that lets model the elements of your truck in detail and assign initial conditions to them. What you can do is use E+ to calculate surface solar gains that you can then apply
as time varying (according to truck direction, a separate calculation) and temperatures based on a location and time of year. We have a project now where we will use E+ simulated environment temperature and solar gain as input to a stress analysis program
that studies the expansion/contraction/stress in art objects stored in the space, but the building is not moving, the art walks with dimensional changes.
Ned Lyon, P.E. (MA, WV)
Staff Consultant
SIMPSON GUMPERTZ & HEGER
781.907.9000 main
781.907.9350 direct
617.285.2162 mobile
781.907.9009 fax
www.sgh.com
From: EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, October 30, 2015 1:32 PM
To: EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [EnergyPlus_Support] EnergyPlus and Bottled Beverages
Hi All --
I am exploring the possibility of using EnergyPlus to model the temperature change of bottled beverages in cases stacked on pallets that are being delivered in a truck. Conceptually, the truck is a moving building.
Do folks have thoughts on how to think about modeling:
+ the movement of the truck? The speed of the truck is like wind speed, but the truck's orientation changes; can EnergyPlus model a rotating building?
+ the temperature of a bottled beverage? The beverages are thermal mass, but not all beverages will change by the same amount. If the truck gets warm, the outer layer of bottles will warm more than the bottles towards the center of the pallet. Perhaps we can
use an internal mass object with thickness, specific heat capacity and conductivity selected to represent the beverages (and ideally calibrate this to experimental data)?
+ any other aspects of this situation that might be interesting/tricky given this application of EnergyPlus?
Thanks in advance!
Cheers,
Nathan
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Posted by: "Edward G. Lyon" <EGLyon@xxxxxxx>
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