4495 -- An Analytical Verification Test Suite for Building Fabric Models in WholeBuilding Energy Simulation Programs PDF

Validation and verification of whole building energy simulation programs can be attempted by a combination of experimental validation, intermodel comparison, and verification using solutions to analytical tests. An effort has recently been made to develop a comprehensive test suite for analytical testing of the building fabric models of such programs. The test suite consists of a series of sixteen tests covering convection, conduction, solar irradiation, longwave radiation, and infiltration phenomena, as well as ground-coupled floors. Standardized documentation for each test case that includes results for one or more sets of test parameters along with the derivation of the analytical solution is included. In addition, source code used to implement the analytical solutions and a user interface that drives this code have been developed. This paper discusses the objectives and design of the test suite and gives an overview of each of the tests. Results obtained from the use of the test suite with an existing building energy simulation program are presented and show its utility in verifying correct operation and diagnosing problems with such programs.

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