| Exercise purpose: | To enable the user to undertake an analysis of the shading on the external surfaces of a building, the insolation of internal surfaces, and to integrate the resulting time-varying factors into the simulation. |
| Task | Instruction | |
| 1 | Create a description of the shading obstructions. | Create obstruction blocks (or use existing ones from a training problem). These can represent remote obstructions (adjacent buildings) or overhangs etc. The definition of obstructions is part of the "geometry and attribution" facility and is supported by both graphic and text feedback. You may choose to have a different set of obstructions for each zone in your problem or to associate one set of obstructions with a number of zones. In the latter case once the obstructions are defined you can associate it with other zones via the "composition status" facility of the "Zone Definition" menu. Refer to the on-line tutorial for details. |
| 2 | Carry out a shading analysis. | Before invoking the shading/ insolation module read the tutorial section and get familiar with the concept of shading as used within ESP-r. Invoke the shading/ insolation module, giving the problem name so that all of the associated data can be accessed and then carry out a shading analysis on selected surfaces. Remember there is no point doing a shading analysis on surfaces which do not face the outside (self-evident to some but not all users). Graphically display the shading patterns and list the tabular data. |
| 3 | Carry out an insolation analysis. | Before proceeding with an insolation analysis read the tutorial section and get familiar with the concept of insolation as used within ESP-r, i.e. you must nominate windows and transparent surfaces which are sources of illumination. Use the same module to determine time-varying internal insolated surfaces. List the calculated data. |
| 4 | Incorporate the shading/ insolation database information into a simulation. | Investigate the impact of ignoring time-varying shading and insolation on predicted air and surface temperatures. |
| Exercise result: | To enable the user to undertake an analysis of the shading on the external surfaces of a building, the insolation of internal surfaces, and to integrate the resulting time-varying factors into the simulation. |
| Exercise purpose: | To undertake a detailed study of `mass flow' in conjunction with thermal simulation. (See also `Zone and mass flow problems' etc. |
| Task | Instruction | |
| 1 | Look at the mass flow network for one of the training exemplars. | The other files required are a `pressure coefficient database' and a `climate file' to specifying the boundary conditions (i.e. wind speed and wind direction). (Use default values.) |
| 2 | Solve the pressure distribution alone. | Invoke the mass flow network module from the "Entry Level" menu by selecting the "simulate current problem" option, and then choose "Fluid flow" simulations. Use the default iteration parameters. |
| 3 | Integrate the airflow network into the building simulation for a combined simulation taking time-varying buoyancy effects into account. | Analyse the air flow results by invoking the mass flow module. (Currently from the main "Simulate current problem" menu, and then choose "Integrated" simulations.) |
| 4 | Set up your own mass flow network | Base this on the default 3-zone problem. Incorporate doors and leakage and a flow controller to allow control of the network based on temperature and/or time. Refer to on-line help or the manual for available flow components. Alter the iteration parameters for greater accuracy or faster execution if required. |
| Exercise purpose: | Understanding of how to undertake a detailed study of mass flow in conjunction with thermal simulation. |
| Exercise purpose: | To explore ESP-r's facilities with respect to simplified and detailed plant and control modelling. |
| Task | Instruction | |
| 1 | Consider the "Base case 3 zone model" exemplar and explore various control strategies. | Read the on-line documentation for this problem. Several control strategies have been pre-defined including winter and summer ideal control and intermittent heating with night-time set-back and early morning pre-heating. Note that these exemplars use building-only models, i.e. the `plant' is described at a high level of abstraction. |
| 2 | This increases complexity by modelling building air flow with control imposed. | For example, one control file represents a building in which the windows are opened/ closed as a function of time (or event such as the wind velocity rising above or below a certain value). |
| 3 | Explore ESP-r's detailed plant modelling facilities as required at an advanced stage of a building's design. | In the `Exemplars' menu you will find several case studies involving detailed (i.e. component wise) plant modelling with various real control strategies superimposed. For example you might explore the 3 zone building with an air handling plant ("Zone with air handling unit"). In terms of control strategies you will find exemplars of on/off, proportional and PID control where actuation is on temperature (of the air leaving the heating coil) and humidity (of the air leaving the humidifier). Note that simulations using detailed plant models usually require small time-steps (< 2 minutes in the case of the training exemplars) in order to accommodate the small time constants present in the problem. You should also be aware that (as in reality) plant control loops are often very sensitive to their parameter settings (e.g. a PID controller needs to be `tuned' for a particular problem). |
| Exercise result: | Initial experience of ESP-r's facilities with respect to abstract versus explicit modelling of plant and control systems. |
| Exercise purpose: | To undertake a study of an artificial lighting control system in conjunction with thermal simulation. (See also `zone operations'.) |
| Task | Instruction | |
| 1 | Look at the casual gains control menu option in one of the training exemplars (e.g. the one zone building demonstrating lighting control). | Choose "casual gains control" from the "Zones Definition"
menu. Explore casual gains control settings via user interface creating
*.cgc file. Use help facility to find out about the meaning of the different
control parameters.
Remember that other file required is a zone operations file (*.opr) specifying a casual gain type 2 (artificial lighting). Examine the content of the both files and understand the parameters which are specified therein (i.e. convective/ radiative casual gains, schedules, electric power consumption and casual gains control settings such as lux set point, switch-off reference level, minimum lighting and electric dimming, photocell location and etc.). |
| 2 | Run the simulation and turn on the trace facilities for the casual gains. | Use the default simulation parameters. Turn on "Trace facilities" for one zone (zone casual gains), on selected inputs for a number of simulation time increments, and send the output to a scratch file. |
| 3 | Analyse the controlled casual gains and electric power consumption data using the result analysis module ("Problem... Analysis") | Also consider the trace dump file generated by the trace facility which will contain detailed output from the lighting simulation. |
| 4 | Set up your own casual gain control file. | Base this on the same one zone exemplar problem for the lighting control. Experiment with the different lighting control strategies (on-off, dimming, probability switching, etc.). Change the calculation type (in-built daylight factor preprocessor, user supplied daylight factors and external sensor) or change the window size/ transmission and establish the effect on lighting, heating and cooling energy consumption and thermal comfort. Refer to the model documentation for a explanation of the different control settings. |
| Exercise result: | Understanding of how to undertake a study of artificial lighting control within a thermal simulation context. |
| Exercise purpose: | To explore capability of lighting analysis and visualisation of ESP-r modul e2r using third party global/local illumination solver Radiance. |
| Task | Instruction | |
| 1 | Explore basics visualisation capabilities in the default mode. | Load (in browsing mode) any of the exemplar models. From Problem Definition menu simply choose visualisation > Colour rendered. This will start Radiance desktop. Then place Radiance files in current folder, select monitor type and confirm scene configuration file name. After that select a default scene and viewing time. Now wait untill Radiance interactive rendering module rview appears on the screen. To control rview see Radiance manual pages (man rview). Exit e2r and exit esp-r. |
| 2 | Explore visualisation capabilities in the user control mode. | Load (own it !) any of the exemplar models. From Problem
Definition menu simply choose visualisation > Colour rendered. This
will start Radiance desktop. Then place Radiance files in @remote
folder, select monitor type and confirm scene configuration file name.
Select control scene creation and specify scene folder (e.g. ./rad
or ../rad).Give this scene name (any you like), specify scene file's prefix
(any you like) and provide short problem description.
Now, select desired purpose from Scene purpose menu. If you select External or Internal images confirm configuration file update. Select Create/ edit scene description > Sky type, ... and confirm sky file name. Set up desired sky parameters and choose Generate sky description. You can view/edit generated sky description file by selecting Browse/ edit sky info file. Exit Sky description menu. Now, select Zone & outside composition > Generate description. Confirm files names. After program finished creation of the scene files you can view/edit them by choosing particular file type from menu. Exit Outside & Zone composition menu. Now select Scene view points > Create a new view. Give it a name. Select Display > plan > Eye Point > pick on plan. Click by mouse on the plan in the possition of the desired view and accept/edit coordinates. Choose Dir az elv to specify view direct azimuth and elevation. Then set View angle to set horizontal viewing angle. Watch display for feedback. Save view info.Exit and Return to main menu. Now enter into Calculate/view scene menu. Here you can set up
calculation parameters (Scene parameters options), start rendering
in interactive or background mode (Render the scene)and view the
resulting images (View visualisation results). Scene parameters
options menu provides facility to create/edit Radiance rif file (see
man rad for more help).
|
| 3 | Explore daylight factor calculation mode | Load (own it!) any of the exemplars models. Start in the
same way as in the previous excercise. Select control scene creation
and answer the following questions. Select daylight factors, focus
zone and surface to grid for DF calculation. Answer
questions regarding the grid generation.
Now go to Create/edit scene description and create scene in the same way as in the previous excercise. After you have finished scene creation go to Calculate/view scene and set up calculation parameters. Then select Calculate daylight factors and wait. Depending on the complexity of you problem and selected calculation parameters the calculation can take anything from a few minutes to a number of hours. As there is no result analysis utility for DF at the moment you will have to review the results in the file writen by simulator. |
| 4 |
| Exercise result: | Understanding of how to undertake a lighting analysis and physicaly based visualisation study. |