Calibration of building energy simulation model for a mechanically ventilated livestock facility

Abstract

To enhance the productivity of livestock facilities, maintaining a comfortable indoor environment is necessary, as livestock are sensitive to indoor temperature and livestock excrement generates numerous pollutants. In most livestock facilities, the ventilation system represents a large proportion of the indoor environment. Therefore, an energy-efficient ventilation control system, which considers the performance of the ventilation fan and outdoor air conditions, is increasingly in demand. In this study, we developed a building energy simulation model for ventilation control system in a livestock facility. In addition, a polynomial equation for the part-load-factor according to the part-load-ratio was developed to calibrate the fan energy consumption. The indoor temperature prediction performance was calibrated by optimising the infiltration rate and equipment load variables. The proposed building energy simulation model is expected to contribute to energy reduction and productivity improvement of the livestock by determining the optimum fan operation schedule through simulation analysis of various factors. • A whole-building energy model for livestock facility was developed. • PLF model was applied in the energy model and showed high prediction performance. • High prediction performance for air temperature was secured by input optimization. • Daily model update better represents trend of indoor air temperature than weekly update.