Simulation of a Passive Solar Energy System

摘要

A simple lumped capacitance-resistance model is used to simulate heat flow in a residential size structure heated passively by the sun. The model takes the form of an analogous electrical circuit. A computer program was written to analyse the circuit. By altering the input parameters of the program, the thermal performance of a wide variety of passive solar designs can be investigated for any geographical location. By comparing program generated data to data taken from experimental test cells in Los Alamos, New Mexico, it was found that the simulation program predicted energy use to within 4 percent of measured values. Also, the computer program predicted temperature swings to within 16 percent of measured swings. Correlation with empirical methods of calculating monthly and annual savings in fuel use for heating was poor. Using the simulation calculations as a base, the predictions of anual savings differed by as much as 76 percent.