Question-and-Answer Resource for the Building Energy Modeling Community
Get started with the Help page
Ask Your Question
1

Workaround for EnergyPlus Construction Layer Limitation

asked 2022-03-02 22:57:38 -0600

mdaher's avatar

updated 2022-03-03 09:22:27 -0600

The EnergyPlus documentation is clear that the Construction object cannot support more than ten layers. Are there any workarounds to this that anyone here has had success with in the past? Thank you very much for your help!

edit retag flag offensive close merge delete

Comments

Out of curiosity, what kind of construction are you trying to model that requires more than ten layers?

shorowit's avatar shorowit  ( 2022-03-03 11:14:47 -0600 )edit

1 Answer

Sort by ยป oldest newest most voted
0

answered 2022-03-03 14:31:24 -0600

willyJohan's avatar

updated 2022-03-03 15:59:57 -0600

Edit: guess my first answer won't work. Other thing I can recommend is combining layers, a fairly straight forward process for continuous layers (i.e. when you don have to account for thermal bridging), lots of info online on how to do it for discontinuous layers as well.

I think you can update the EnergyPlus idd file to expand the Construction object to include more layers:

...
       \object-list MaterialName
  A10, \field Layer 9
       \type object-list
       \object-list MaterialName
  A11; \field Layer 10
       \type object-list
       \object-list MaterialName

Becomes

...
       \object-list MaterialName
  A10, \field Layer 9
       \type object-list
       \object-list MaterialName
  A11, \field Layer 10
       \type object-list
       \object-list MaterialName
  A12; \field Layer 11
       \type object-list
       \object-list MaterialName

Alternatively, you could combine layers/materials prior to defining them in EnergyPlus.

edit flag offensive delete link more

Comments

Changing the IDD will only affect how IDF Editor will allow you to change input fields, but not how the EnergyPlus engine will use them -- you would need to build a custom EnergyPlus executable after making the IDD changes for those to have an effect on calculation processes.

Combining similar adjacent layers is likely the easier & faster option.

Aaron Boranian's avatar Aaron Boranian  ( 2022-03-03 15:37:51 -0600 )edit

well, never mind then.

willyJohan's avatar willyJohan  ( 2022-03-03 15:41:54 -0600 )edit

Your Answer

Please start posting anonymously - your entry will be published after you log in or create a new account.

Add Answer

Training Workshops

Careers

Question Tools

2 followers

Stats

Asked: 2022-03-02 22:57:38 -0600

Seen: 153 times

Last updated: Mar 03 '22