Variable refrigerant flow heat pump model with estimated parameters and emulated controller based on manufacturer data

AbstractA new physics-based and modular variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heat pump model aimed towards multi-year simulations is presented. The model allows the simulation of any number of indoor units (IU), outdoor units (OU) and compressors. A parameter-estimation procedure and a control strategy both using available manufacturer data is proposed. The model is validated against data collected from a VRF system that services the first floor of the former ASHRAE Headquarters Building in Atlanta (USA), comprised of 22 indoor units, 2 outdoor units and 8 compressors. Results show that the model accurately predicts the total energy consumption over a 2-month cooling period, with a relative error, normalized mean bias error (NMBE), and coefficient of variation of the root mean square error (CVRMSE) of 1%, 1.6%, and 16.7%, respectively.Keywords: variable refrigerant flowheat pumpmodel calibrationcontroller emulationDisclaimerAs a service to authors and researchers we are providing this version of an accepted manuscript (AM). Copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proofs will be undertaken on this manuscript before final publication of the Version of Record (VoR). During production and pre-press, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal relate to these versions also.