Nick N's profile - activity

I also use yEd for these sorts of "network" sketching and diagramming tasks, for all the reasons @David Goldwasser mentioned. It's free, but not open source. I haven't done a lot of HVAC with it, and haven't found templates, but I have uploaded images to add to components, and it's easy to do updating of families of nodes. You can even edit through the XML directly, or drive your whole diagram with Excel, though that's not exactly "sketching" anymore.

Thanks @Eric Ringold! I haven't written any measures yet; if I put this one together, I still won't have, really, because you just laid it all out in its practical entirety. I'll compare these snippets to the tariff measure I was looking at, that @David Goldwasser mentioned, and work it out.

Indeed - we're taking the variables output from the simulation run and feeding them into another environment for modeling of a different (building-integrated) system. I had thought about that tariff measure earlier, but hadn't had the chance yet to learn if it was generally pulling in IDF code, or if it was selecting specific objects (which you mention it does). I'll look into it--either way, a good place to start.

I have a similar situation with an IDF generated in OpenStudio: I had deleted a setpoint manager, but there are evidently still e+ nodes that reflect its presence (same severe error in the ERR output). But the model runs and makes sense, so I have been inclined to leave it alone, since I'm avoiding editing at the IDF level.

I have a swath of e+ output:variables I'd like to add to the reporting of an OS run. Does anyone has a favorite way of doing that?

Currently I'm post-processing by simulating the OS model, then adding my variables (IDF code) to the generated out.idf, then re-running the out.idf. I'm sure there's a slicker method. I have used the measure: addOutputVariable in the past, but it seems cumbersome to repeat that more than a few times.

Is there perhaps another measure out there that people use just to load in IDF code to the OSM, pre-run? This might be an excuse to write my first measure, but I'd be surprised if I'm the first to think this is a good idea.

Or, if there's an even better (and obvious) workflow, I'd be interested in that, too.

Indeed - simply to the end of using a text editor's own wrapping function for ease of visually scanning through the ERR output.

Short question: can you control the length of the word wrap function in energy plus output files (or turn wrapping off)? I looked through the IORef but didn't see it mentioned.

To directly record all called variables to a CSV (Excel-readable) you can include this line in your idf:

OutputControl:Table:Style,Comma;

(This is also the output that the "variables" button in EP-Launch calls.)

Hello,

I connected a boiler to the generator side of an absorption chiller (Chiller:Absorption:Indirect) by combining some of the example files that come along with Energy Plus 8.2. It's the first time I've done manual loop construction, and I've gotten the branch integrity to check out and set some extra sizing:plant loop objects so that I can autosize the chiller and boiler. But during warmup the inlet and outlet nodes of the demand side of the generator loop crash (-89.4C and -90.1C respectively). As the .err file suggests, I've manually increased operating capacity (boiler size = 6MW for a 130m2 building) and checked the operation schemes, although this is my first time working through these objects. I can't locate the source of the problem, although it does look there's 0W power getting from the supply to the demand side - the full 3MW of heating demand are unmet.

Any ideas about the next thing to look at (and maybe a good way to look at it?) would it be helpful if I included some of the code, or the .err file?

Thanks!

Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

Thanks! I tried clicking through the link to the inheritance diagram, but it was broken. I might know it, tho, from PSD training material--is it the grid with similar vectors of hierarchical objects as both rows and columns, showing vertical inheritance paths?

Hello,

Is there an object in Energy Plus that one could use to add an arbitrary, scheduled thermal gain to a zone? Something along the lines of electrical equipment gains, but that doesn't actually incur electricity use?

Hello,

I'm looking at the facilities view in OpenStudio, and seeing blanks in the default construction and schedule sets in my stories, thermal zones, and spaces (I haven't done much to this model yet, so I don't think I've deleted the attributes myself). Space types and Design-Spec Outdoor Air IS getting inherited, along with the loads.

Is there a way to trigger the inheritance hierarchy, so that construction/schedule/space types that can be inherited get inherited? Is there something specific which I should check for that is interrupting the inheritances?

Thanks!

Has anyone tried generating idfs from modelmaker.nrel.gov (or the EnergyPlus Example File Generator) recently? I've tried periodically over the last month, but haven't had any luck - I get a message that "there was an error retrieving the latest results. Please check back later for updates."

I hope it comes back. It was pretty useful!

If my answer doesn't help clear things up, perhaps you can share your model. Or post the errors. The measure should be robust, but it is difficult to anticipate everything.

Hello, thanks again for your consideration. I re-started the process with some fresh geometry and, perhaps more importantly, a lighter set of libraries resident in the model. I had loaded the master set, and the model was over 10MB.

(As a side note, with the new lighter model, OS is far more responsive -- it had been taking 15 minutes, for instance, to open the list of downloaded measures. Could this performance boost be related to the smaller loaded library set?)

I re-ran both the AEDG radiant and AEDG WSHP measures on separate forked files, and simulations complete in both cases. So for one reason or another, I now have a workflow working - now to make the building represent something reasonable.

Thanks again for your availability--it makes all the difference. -N.

Actually...After looking through whole-building HVAC measures last night, I realized the "AEDG Radiant with DOAS" is a better precursor for this project. I tried running that measure from my base model, ran into a similar final cancellation. Here's that OSM: https://www.dropbox.com/s/oadxr2p05xd... . This measure got farther, but not to assigning equipment to zones. I have some training material to refer to template the radiant/DOAS systems, but any insight into why these measures are cancelling on me would be wonderful - Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the clarification. I re-ran the measure without spec'ing a plenum space type as you suggested (design currently has no plenums) and things progressed further...but still ended in cancellation. An air loop was created, but none of the thermal zones were assigned.

At this point I'd happily upload my model for a look-over. Not immediately seeing a mechanism for that here on UH, here's a link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xr1gr8pykdy... .

I'm not opposed to assembling the system "by hand" (only 15 zones) but I'm looking for a good template to work off of, first.

Hello,

I'm trying to apply a whole-building HVAC measure in Open Studio--the measure that revises the systems to "AEDG Office HVAC WSHP with DOAS." I haven't had any luck with it yet, but it's a pretty drastic measure. Two questions:

1) Does the measure pull down whatever equipment objects it needs from the BCL, or do particular libraries need to be loaded for it to succeed?

2) Do I need explicit plenum spaces (and space types) in my geometry? The description of the measure says something about plenum space types, but I'm not entirely sure what it's trying to communicate.

Many thanks for your thoughts!