SIMBAD Building and HVAC Toolbox

IF YOU ARE WORKING ON

Development and test of controllers or control strategies for HVAC, shading or lighting systems (from simple terminal control to building management systems), Conception, dimensioning or optimisation of HVAC systems, Test of real components via "hardware in the loop",

then do not waste any more time in developing and validating new HVAC models.

THE SIMBAD TOOLBOX

SIMBAD (SIMulator of Building And Devices) is the first HVAC toolbox for the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. The toolbox provides a large number of ready to use HVAC models and related utilities. This toolbox, in connection with other existing toolboxes (Neural network, fuzzy logic, optimisation), will offer a very powerful and efficient tool for the applications listed above. The toolbox is made up of 11 groups of models and utilities and 1 group of examples of installations with various HVAC heating or cooling systems

The models have online documentation. The models are developed either completely in the SIMULINK block diagram language, in MATLAB code or in compiled C-code. The source codes of modules written in C-Language or MATLAB language are provided. The open structure of the models enables the users to modify them and personalise the models.

USER-FRIENDLY MODELS BY USING THE GRAPHICAL IMPLEMENTATION

All models in the toolbox are implemented using the graphical aspect of the Simulink environment. The user can so understand physical phenomena taking place in the component. This is shown in the following graphs using a simple boiler model as example.

EXAMPLES OF APPLICATIONS
All models in the toolbox are implemented using the graphical aspect of the Simulink environment. The user can so understand physical phenomena taking place in the component. This is shown in the following graphs using a simple boiler model as example. The models of this toolbox are currently being used for: 1) the study of integrated control strategies of HVAC systems and lighting systems (INTECOM project of the European Joule program), 2) the test of controllers for the European Standards (CEN TC247), 3) the development on Fault Detection and Diagnosis methods for HVAC systems (IEA Annex 34), 4) the development of virtual test benches for manufacturers of HVAC control equipment (QUALISIM project) . The version 3 requires MATLAB 6.1 and Simulink 4.1 or above. The licences are to be purchased from The Mathworks Inc. (www.mathworks.com).

EXAMPLE OF A SYSTEM IMPLEMENTED USING THE MODELS OF THE TOOLBOX

This example shows a zone model used for the development of integrated control strategies of three applications: HVAC plant, lighting system and solar protections.

Main groups of the SIMBAD toolbox in detail : Building elements A monozone building with pre-defined parameters (Resistance-capacitor analogy), A simplified room model with detailed description of walls, A zonal room model with detailed description of walls, Models of walls , windows with blinds, radiative and convective phenomena. Production & Storage Reversible heat pump with integrated controller Simple and dynamic boiler Solar collector Electrically heated, well mixed & stratified storage tank Hydraulics and air flow networks Air Handling Unit Flat plate heat recovery Simple fan Duct (transport delay model) Motorised damper A package of divergent & convergent ducts A package to built pressure dependent circuits when hydraulics are of interest (pumps, tubes, valve, tee's etc.) A package to built pressure independent circuits when hydraulics are not of interest (pumps, tubes, valve, tee's etc.) Room heating / cooling Fan-coil (2 pipes 2 wires) & (4pipes) Terminal VAV box Electric heater Hot water radiator Water flowed floor/ceiling/wall Electric floor/ceiling/wall

Heat exchangers Heating and cooling coils (static and dynamic versions & simple and detailed parametering forms) Heat exchanger for storage tank Control devices Central controller for hydronic systems Terminal controller for Fan-coil (2 pipes 2 wires) Terminal controller for electric heater Setpoint PID Optimal start stop for heating systems Scheduler (Constant time clock) Temperature sensor Grid for pressure measurement in air ducts Three models of actuator Weather & loads Weather stations Weather data selection block Pre-defined occupancy profiles Weekly clock generator & outputs Blank scheduler Other equipment Lighting system (luminaire model) Psychrometrics and properties Psychometrics functions of ASHRAE Handbook fundamentals Fluid & Air physical properties Others Display & Post processing Control and acquisision interfaces Communication blocks for National Instrument FieldPoint system with RS-232 link Example A few complete HVAC systems