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PlantEquipmentOperation:OutdoorDryBulb

asked 2025-08-06 11:55:18 -0500

bfountain's avatar

updated 2025-08-06 11:59:24 -0500

EnergyPlus version 25.1

I am attempting to provide heating using an air-source heat pump for outdoor air temperatures down to -10°C. Below this, a boiler will provide heating to my hot water loop. From the error message shown below, it suggests that negative values are not allowable as an upper limit.

from .err:

** Severe  ** PlantEquipmentOperationSchemes = "HWL OPERATION", found a negative value for an upper limit in   PlantEquipmentOperation:OutdoorDryBulb = "HWL OA CTRL".
**  Fatal  ** LoadEquipList/GetEquipmentLists: Failed due to preceding errors.

my .idf:

PlantEquipmentOperation:OutdoorDryBulb,

HWL OA Ctrl,             !- Name
-70,                     !- Dry-Bulb Temperature Range 1 Lower Limit {C}
-10,                     !- Dry-Bulb Temperature Range 1 Upper Limit {C}
HWL Boiler,              !- Range 1 Equipment List Name
-10,                     !- Dry-Bulb Temperature Range 2 Lower Limit {C}
70,                      !- Dry-Bulb Temperature Range 2 Upper Limit {C}
HWL All Equipment;       !- Range 2 Equipment List Name

Can I not use negative number in my OA ranges in the PlantEquipmentOperation:OutdoorDryBulb element?

Note that I did try the PlantEquipementOperation:OutdoorDryBulb in the oppsite order (warmest range first) with the same result and error message.

Many thanks for suggestions/observations.

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answered 2025-08-06 12:20:05 -0500

Greg Estep's avatar

Hello, I'm a design builder user so hopefully you can extract the E+ objects from the following description:

When setting up a loop like this, I connect the W2AHP in series with the boiler. The W2AHP is first in line. In the Plant Equipment Operation, Scheme, heating load, I select the equipment (heat pump and boiler) and set the priority, with the heat pump as priority 1. This configuration allows the heat pump to provide as much heating as capacity allows and the boiler will add to meet the plant loop temperature setpoint. You can set the -10C minimum outdoor air temperature for heating in the object of the heat pump.

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Comments

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Excellent suggestion and it did indeed resolve the issue. Thank you.

bfountain's avatar bfountain  ( 2025-08-06 12:33:53 -0500 )edit
1

answered 2025-08-26 03:13:36 -0500

PmP's avatar

I think this post shows a incorrect behavior on the EnergyPlus code. Here is the link to the line of code that gets that particular error: E+ Github Condenser Loop Operation

The code for the lower limits of PlantEquipmentOperation have different values in terms of errors: Heating/Cooling Load or relative humidity cannot have a lower limit below 0, but others (such as OutdorDrybulb) are allowed to have a lower range down to -70oC.

Yet the upper range is limited to "cannot be negative" for ALL operation schemes. I cannot think of a reason to do so other than an oversight. I have created an issue in the E+Github linked to this post: Issue link

The proposed solution of priorities in Design Builder is not even an exact equivalent because the boiler will work at any outside temperature, even if this is "adequate" or "realistic", the bad behavior on the side of the code remains.

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Asked: 2025-08-06 11:55:18 -0500

Seen: 718 times

Last updated: Aug 26