Engineering topics

Ehrlich, Paul W.

Publications and source records attributed to Ehrlich, Paul W..

3 records

DOE OSTI2018

A Control-oriented Building Envelope and HVAC System Simulation Model for a Typical Large Office Building

To enable advanced controls research for buildings, in this paper we present a dynamic simulation model for a typical large office building. In this model, we utilized EnergyPlus for calculating the building thermal load and the Modelica HVAC equipment library to implement the dynamic behavior of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. We utilized a functional mockup interface to enable the run-time communication between the EnergyPlus model and the Modelica model. This simulation model can be driven by control inputs from supervisory decision making algorithms and thus can be used as a virtual testbed for advanced controls development and evaluation. To demonstrate the usage of the model, we implemented two HVAC control sequences representative for large office buildings, both based on the ASHRAE standard. Simulation results allowed us to compare the energy performance associated with the two control strategies, and the evolution of the system dynamics at a high temporal granularity.

Huang, Sen↗

DOE OSTI2018

Improving Characterization of Miscellaneous Energy Loads in Energy Demand Models

Miscellaneous energy loads (MELs) comprise a significant and growing portion of total building energy consumption. However relatively little is known about the products that make up MELs end uses, and MELs are modeled with less granularity than major end uses in energy demand models such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s Scout energy efficiency impact analysis tool or the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). This paper identifies differences in the way MELs versus major building end uses are modeled, and then reviews potential sources of MELs baseline technology data that could be used to improve their characterization in energy demand models. Case studies of dry distribution transformers, hot water circulation pumps, and Japanese-style automatic bidets are presented to compare and contrast the level of baseline data available for different end uses. We show that there is potential to use data from energy conservation standards and other sources to significantly improve representation of some MELs in energy demand models, while other emerging MELs require further data collection before they can be modeled precisely.

Miscellaneous Electric Loads, MELs, Models, Nation↗

DOE OSTI2017

Building Cyber-Physical Security

Cyber-attacks are becoming more common and brazen. You may already have been a victim of one of these attacks and only find out when your credit card company calls to asks about suspicious activity. Many of the attacks that are in the news are focused on obtaining “personal identifiable information” such as credit card numbers, bank accounts and social security numbers. But there is a whole other target for these cyber criminals, and that is the area of cyber-physical systems including industrial control systems, infrastructure controls such as the electrical grid, and even controls for building systems. While not as well publicized as financial and personal information attacks are both a very real risk and a clear and present danger.

Cyber Physical Security↗