Science and Technology for the Built Environment

ISSN: 2374-4731 (Print) 2374-474X (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uhvc21

Modeling, case studies, and optimization methods

for building energy systems

Lorenzo Cremaschi

To cite this article: Lorenzo Cremaschi (2018) Modeling, case studies, and optimization methods
for building energy systems, Science and Technology for the Built Environment, 24:4, 325-326,
DOI: 10.1080/23744731.2018.1444304

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/23744731.2018.1444304

Published online: 27 Mar 2018.

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Science and Technology for the Built Environment (2018) 24, 325–326
Copyright C 2018 ASHRAE.
ISSN: 2374-4731 print / 2374-474X online
DOI: 10.1080/23744731.2018.1444304
Editorial
Modeling, case studies, and optimization methods
for building energy systems
The current issue of the Science and Technology for the Built Environment presents 10 articles that cover a wide range of topics:
From measuring heat gain values of office equipment to modeling phase change materials for building energy performance, from
formulating optimization methods of HVAC systems to developing controls strategies for variable refrigerant flow systems. In this
editorial article, I would like to introduce these 10 articles to the reader and, from this point-of-view; I would like to divide them in
three general categories as summarized next.
Modeling, case studies, and experimental research for
building energy performance
Four articles focus on modeling, case studies, and experi-
mental research for building energy performance. D’Avignon
et al. (2018) modeled phase change material in a horizontal
slab-like storage tank for thermal storage of buildings. The
proposed model, which was compared to a detailed numerical
analysis and it was also experimentally validated, indicated
good accuracy and it was suitable for dynamic simulations of
building energy performance.
Ultra-low dew point temperature in large atmospheric
space can be realized by using dry and pure nitrogen to
displace the initial moist air inside. On this topic, Zhang
et al. (2018) presented a three-dimensional (3D) numerical
computational fluid dynamic simulation of transient nitro-
gen displacement process for acquiring ultra-low dew point
temperature. The authors observed that the effect of nitrogen
inlet velocity on the displacement efficiency is more impor-
tant than that of nitrogen temperature and inlet direction.
Khan et al. (2018) reported a case study that estimated the
energy-saving potential of radiant cooling systems in two
climate zones of India. By using a calibrated program for
building energy simulations, Khan et al. (2018) highlighted
the predicted energy savings for temperate, warm, and humid
climate zones. The impact of an energy recovery wheel on the
potential energy savings was also investigated in their article.
Safraz and Bach (2018) reported an experimental method-
ology used in the ASHRAE research RP-1742 to measure
heat gain values for different office equipment. The heat gain
values for various office equipment, such as plug and miscel-
laneous loads, listed in this article are planned to be included
in the new edition of ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook.
Analysis and optimization methods of plants producing
heating and cooling of buildings
Three articles focus on the analysis and optimization meth-
ods of plants producing heating and cooling of buildings.
Feng et al. (2018) proposed a computational optimization
framework to achieve optimum designs for HVAC chilled
water systems in supertall buildings. The authors focused on
the design of HVAC water-system topologies, component
sizing, and control settings. The overall design from authors’
computation procedure, which was validated for a case study
in Shanghai, was proposed as an alternative method to
experience-based designs. Gunay et al. (2018) presents an
analysis conducted upon the sensor data gathered from the
distribution control system of a specific central heating and
cooling plant. The authors developed data-driven models to
explain variability in performance of four boilers and five
chillers of this plant in time under steady-state conditions. In
the cases studies presented in their article, authors observed
that that boiler flue gas O2 and pressure sensors were essential
sensor types to characterize the in-service efficiency varia-
tions of a boiler. For predicting the in-service coefficient
of performances (COPs), authors emphasized that return
water flow rate, part-load ratio, outdoor temperature, and
return water temperature were key variables that should be
measured. Liang et al. (2018) presented probabilistic neural
network and back-propagation network to diagnose seven
types of typical faults for a 90-ton centrifugal chiller, includ-
ing refrigerant leak/undercharge, refrigerant overcharge,
and excess oil and other component-level faults such as
condenser fouling, reduced condenser water flow, noncon-
densables in the refrigerant, and reduced evaporator water
flow. The authors pointed out that the probabilistic neural
326
network resulted in better overall diagnostic performances
than back-propagation network.
Optimization methods for building energy systems
Three articles focus on optimization methods for building
energy systems. Zhang et al. (2018) describes a genetic algo-
rithm and computational fluid dynamic analysis to design
an indoor environment, that is, search for optimal design
variables and calculate their values. The authors proposed a
new sorting method to solve the multiple-objective and inter-
val solutions problem simultaneously. The interval solutions
were obtained to satisfy the requirements of thermal comfort,
energy cost, and air quality. Authors presented two bench-
mark indoor cases in order to test their proposed method
and discussed similarities and difference in details in their
article.
Multi-functional variable refrigerant flow (MVRF) air-
conditioning systems enables simultaneous heating and
cooling in various zones of a building. Dong et al. (2018)
reported a multivariable extremum seeking control to maxi-
mize the energy efficiency in real time for a MVRF systems.
Authors’ extremum seeking control was applied to maximize
the system efficiency for the five operational modes with the
constraint that the thermal comfort of individual zones was
satisfied. The authors observed that the extremum seeking
control had a good convergence rate and a small steady-state
error with respect to the results obtained by a genetic algo-
rithm optimization. In order to achieve a smooth transition
during mode switching, Dong et al. (2018) proposes a novel
strategy of mode switching for a MVRF systems. A dynamic
simulation was conducted to evaluate the strategy for a
four-zone MVRF system and the authors reported that their
new proposed mode switching strategy resulted in smooth
transition between the compressor pressure control loops.
Authors also pointed out that their proposed mode switching
strategy was a model-free scheme based on readily available
sensors on commercial MVFR systems.
Conclusions
Ten articles are presented in this issue of the Science and
Technology for the Built Environment (STBE) and they
cover a wide range of topics. Four articles focus on modeling,
case studies, and experimental research for building energy
performance. Three articles focus on the analysis and opti-
mization methods of plants producing heating and cooling
Science and Technology for the Built Environment
of buildings. In addition, three articles focus on optimiza-
tion methods for building energy systems. With the aim to
introduce these articles to the reader, I briefly summarized the
highlights of these 10 articles in my current editorial article.
Lorenzo Cremaschi
Member ASHRAE
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama, USA
References
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