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Model with another library

Switching libraries is seamless with Trano. This tutorial demonstrates how to generate a model using the IDEAS library from the same YAML file previously utilized.

Supported libraries

The same YAML file generates a model for each of the libraries trano supports: Buildings (13.0.0) and IDEAS (3.0.0) for detailed zones, reduced_order (the AixLib 3.0.1 reduced-order zone) and iso_13790 (the ISO 13790 zone of AixLib) for simplified zones, and mpc for control-oriented RC models. Buildings and IDEAS are validated against ASHRAE Standard 140 (BESTEST), see the validation results and the walk through the cases; the simplified zones are reported there for information. The parameter reference lists, for every parameter, the Modelica name it is rendered under in each library and the parameters a library does not take.

Generate Modelica model

The only difference from the previous tutorial is that the library is specified in the command as shown below.

Test tutorials
    from trano.main import create_model

    create_model(
        path_to_yaml_configuration_folder / "first_model.yaml",
        library="IDEAS",
    )

Explanation of the Code Snippet

This code snippet imports the create_model function from the trano.main module and then calls this function to create a model based on a specified YAML configuration file.

General Description and Parameters

  • Function: create_model
  • Parameters:
  • path_to_yaml_configuration_folder / "first_model.yaml": Path to the YAML configuration file used for model creation.
  • library="IDEAS": Optional parameter specifying the library to be used for model creation; defaults to "IDEAS".

The figure below illustrates the envelope subcomponent generated using the IDEAS library, in contrast to the previous tutorial that utilized the Buildings library.

Envelope components using IDEAS

Zone template (IDEAS only)

By default Trano renders an IDEAS envelope with separate components: an IDEAS.Buildings.Components.Zone plus one OuterWall, Window or SlabOnGround array per construction. IDEAS also provides IDEAS.Buildings.Components.RectangularZoneTemplate, a single component bundling the zone, its four vertical faces, floor and ceiling. Set the space variant to rectangular_zone to use it:

spaces:
  - id: SPACE:001
    variant: rectangular_zone
    parameters:
      floor_area: 80.0
      average_room_height: 2.5
    external_boundaries:
      external_walls:
        - surface: 90.0
          azimuth: 3.14
          tilt: wall
          construction: CONSTRUCTION:001
      floor_on_grounds:
        - surface: 80.0
          construction: CONSTRUCTION:001
      windows:
        - surface: 1.5
          azimuth: 3.14
          tilt: wall
          construction: INS2AR2020:001

Trano maps the walls onto the four faces of the template (face A takes the orientation shared by most surfaces, the other faces are at 90° steps from it), lumps the windows of a face sharing a glazing into one window, and uses the floor on ground as SlabOnGround and a horizontal roof as the ceiling. Surfaces that do not fit the rectangle (pitched roofs, a second construction or glazing on the same face, extra orientations) and the internal walls stay separate components connected through the template's proBusExt bus, so nothing is lost. The variant is only available with the IDEAS library.