Test Case Name
flexible_research_platform
Brief Description
The test case represents ORNL’s two-story Flexible Research Platform (FRP) located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. The FRP has 10 conditioned zones with a floor area of 289 m2. The building is unoccupied, but occupancy is emulated through research apparatuses that physically simulate internal loads for light commercial buildings common in the United States’ existing building stock.
The conditioned zones are served by an Rooftop Unit (RTU) Variable Air Volume (VAV) system with electric reheat. The RTU supply fan, direct expansion (DX) cooling coil, and gas furnace are controlled by a PI controller to maintain a static pressure set point and the supply air temperature set point, respectively. Additional PI controllers within the VAV zone terminal units modulate the terminal unit damper position and reheat output to meet the zone heating and cooling set point temperatures. The test case has been calibrated with measured data from various closed and open loop control tests.