Unsteady Computational Simulations Research Articles

Advanced thermal environment and energy consumption calculation over time using combined energy simulation, computational fluid dynamics, and heat source model

We developed an unsteady computational simulation tool that sequentially inputs the calculated heat load to a heat source model to determine the coefficient of performance (COP) and power consumption of air conditioners. The accuracy of the energy consumption prediction was improved by incorporating the air-conditioning model into the coupled calculation of energy simulation and computational fluid dynamics as well as reproducing the behaviour of equipment efficiency. We conducted a comparative study in an office with a partition in the centre to investigate the effects of short circuits and heat accumulation. The experiments indicated a difference between the bulk temperature of the space and the input air humidity of the air conditioner of ∼2.0°C and 2.5 g/kg (DA), respectively. The coupled analysis confirmed that the power consumption of the bulk temperature/humidity input was ∼100 W and the COP error was ∼2, while the suction temperature/humidity input had high accuracy.