Energyplus model of double skin façade and diffuse ceiling ventilation

Abstract

This paper introduces an Energyplus model to combine the double skin façade and diffuse ceiling ventilation systems with weather-adjusted dynamic control for both heating and cooling purposes. The proposed Energyplus model is validated with measurement data for both the heating mode and cooling mode. The double skin façade, diffuse ceiling, and the room are modeled as different thermal zones in Energyplus. The ventilation between the adjacent zones is controlled by zone ventilation and zone mixing. The cooling mode of the double skin façade is modeled by wind and stack. An energy management system (EMS) controls the ventilation modes based on outdoor conditions and indoor air temperature. The geometry of the model is identical to the experiment room in the façade lab facing south, with the same internal load and ventilation mode. The model results are then compared to the experimental data, including both heating mode and cooling mode for 4 thermal zones: The DSF zone, the DSF top zone, the diffuse ceiling zone, and the room zone. For heating mode, the average discrepancy of all 4 thermal zones between the model results and experimental data is 13,75%, while for cooling mode, the average discrepancy is 13.78%. The model performance of the room zone is the highest, which has a discrepancy of 5.31% for the heating mode and 3.67% for the cooling mode compared to the experimental data.