Modelling of a Variable Refrigerant Flow System in EnergyPlus for Building Energy Simulation in an Open Building Information Modelling Environment

Bárbara Torregrosa-Jaime, Pedro J. Martínez, Benjamín González and Gaspar Payá-Ballester
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Bárbara Torregrosa-Jaime: CYPE Ingenieros, S.A., Avda. Eusebio Sempere, 5, 03003 Alicante, Spain
Pedro J. Martínez: Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica y Energía, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avda. de la Universidad, s/n, 03202 Elche, Spain
Benjamín González: CYPE Ingenieros, S.A., Avda. Eusebio Sempere, 5, 03003 Alicante, Spain
Gaspar Payá-Ballester: CYPE Ingenieros, S.A., Avda. Eusebio Sempere, 5, 03003 Alicante, Spain

Energies, 2018, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems are one possible tool to meet the objective that all new buildings must be nearly zero-energy buildings by 31 December 2020. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a methodology that centralizes building construction project information in a digital model promoting collaboration between all its agents. The objectives of this work were to develop a more precise model of the VRF system than the one available in EnergyPlus version 8.9 (US Department of Energy) and to study the operation of this system in an office building under different climates by implementing the building energy simulation in an Open BIM workflow. The percentage deviation between the estimation of the VRF energy consumption with the standard and the new model was 6.91% and 1.59% for cooling and heating respectively in the case of Barcelona and 3.27% and 0.97% respectively in the case of Madrid. The energy performance class of the analysed building was A for each climatic zone. The primary energy consumption of the office building equipped with the VRF system was of 65.8 kWh/(m 2 ·y) for the Mediterranean climate of Barcelona and 72.4 kWh/(m 2 ·y) for the Continental climate of Madrid.

Keywords: NZEB; VRF; EnergyPlus; Open BIM; office building (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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