Is there a way to use a refrigerant in a plant loop?
I am debugging an ice rink module that is not yet part of EnergyPlus. Ice rinks are similar to low temperature radiant systems embedded in the floor. However, low temp radiant systems are treated as zone HVAC component in EnergyPlus: they are modeled as part of a plant loop and they are hydronic. On the other hand, ice rinks run on refrigerants (glycol, brine, etc.). The module was built to be a component of a plant loop, and plant loops are not meant for refrigeration and they use chilled water.
My question is: is there a way to model a plant loop with a refrigerant? (i.e. the ice rink with an air cooled condenser) Or, this module needs to be changed to be part of an a refrigeration system?
Thanks.
@miroavsthis post asked the same question about how to model an ice rink in EnergyPlus back in 2015. This was eventually logged as an issue on the EnergyPlus Github site where the source code is hosted, and @Jason DeGraw marked this as "In Progress" in July 2019. However, it doesn't look like EnergyPlus has an "ice rink" object yet.
If you believe this should be added, then let the development team know by giving the issue a "thumbs up" or similar comment.