Engineering topics

Ball, Brian L

Publications and source records attributed to Ball, Brian L.

3 records

DOE OSTI2018

Advances in Calibration of Building Energy Models to Time Series Data: Preprint

Advanced building analytics and control applications such as fault detection and diagnostics and model predictive control benefit from building energy models calibrated to time series data. In this paper, we present best practices for aligning EnergyPlus (TM) model time series output with measured building performance. These include the use of subcalibration procedures to fine-tune envelope, heat transfer, and mechanical system parameters; initialization of zone temperatures to match observed conditions at the beginning of each calibration period; and calculation of calibration metrics across multiple run periods using a new OpenStudio reporting measure.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2018

Optimal Dispatch Controller for Fuel Cell-Integrated Building: Preprint

Stationary fuel cells can generate both electrical power and heat, making it them a promising local source to serve building loads. In this paper, we develop an optimal energy dispatch controller to operate a fuel cell-integrated building. The controller leverages the inherent thermal in the building to lower reduce its operating cost and allows the building to participate in providing grid services. The proposed controller is tested in a co-simulation setup, where the real building is represented as a high-fidelity model in EnergyPlus.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2018

Large-Scale Daylighting Analysis for Buildings, Products, and Policy

Daylighting in buildings has come under increased scorn in the wake of ubiquitous solid-state lighting (SSL), as installed lighting power densities in buildings have been reduced to the point where designers and owners question the benefits of properly-designed daylighting and electric lighting control. At the same time the very process of demonstrating well-executed daylighting to satisfy new building rating systems has become burdensome. This paper demonstrates the utility of illuminance as an input to simple, existing qualitative and quantitative metrics for daylighting performance in buildings, at scale. This assertion is supported by sensitivity analysis of a large-scale daylighting simulation dataset. Uses of this data for quantifying non-energy benefits (NEBs) of daylighting are also explored. We do not eschew the use of newer, more detailed daylight metrics in design, but we do encourage the use of simple daylight metrics for a broader range of new and retrofit building projects toward a net-zero future.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗