[esp-r] Re: [Fwd: schedule for the thermal mass

[Jon Hand (clcv10)]

A recent question that we have never been asked before....

> I am developing a model for a storage room, which is filled with  
> cans of
> milk; this adds a thermal mass which changes with time (people come  
> in to
> add or remove cans). I was wondering if there is a way to have a  
> schedule
> for the thermal mass in ESP-r.
>

The short answer is probably but with some risk.

It is possible to define a control
that substitutes one construction for another in up to 3 surfaces
in a zone (the so-called nested control option).  This control
is one of the least used and so there is very little experience
in the community for its use, particularly in relation to surfaces
inside a zone.

Energy balance tends to go off into another universe
when altering mass (the bookkeeping for the storage in the
mass never thought it would have to do such a thing).

Approaching this from a different viewpoint - it is possible to
fix the heat transfer coefficient for specific surfaces based on
a schedule.  Would a change in convection at the mass surfaces
mimic a change in mass within the zone???

-Jon Hand