user manual

Log and Parametrize

The Parametrization feature allows to carry out several simulations of one system diagram with different input data simultaneously, without having to create a new system diagram or edit an existing one. It has two main advantages:

1. Parametrize input data which allows multiple simulation;
2. Necessary results output based on the time steps.

In order to use the Log and Parametrize feature, you need to open the menu “Options”, then choose “Settings” and under the tab-sheet “Advanced” enable the Log and Parametrize feature. Then you should define the folder where you would like to save the results.

The ‘Parametrizing Wizard’ is divided into 4 parts: input data, output data, period and choice of output data presentation.

Parametrize

In the Input data the required combinations of the system configurations can be defined manually. For each input data several single values or a range of values can be defined. The single values are separated with a semicolon, e.g. 3;5. A range can be defined by [lowest value]:[difference between each value]:[highest value], e.g. 3:2:7. If several input data have been selected, all combinations of input data can be simulated.

Let’s take as an example solar thermal system with different collector tilt angle (range between 30° and 60° with a step of 5°).

Then the ‘System diagram results’ can be ticked in the fourth part of ‘Parametrizing Wizard’.

Finally you can start your simulation by clicking on ‘Start Multiple Simulation’.

When the simulation is completed, you can go to the folder defined previously and open the last saved folder with the simulation data for each time step ‘VariantResultSummary’.

The results can be evaluated more precisely graphically.

Log

The second option is to log defined parameters and time frames based on the time steps. It can be done for one or all system diagrams.

The required variables can be defined in the ‘Output data’ by clicking on ‘Add output data’. The selected data is registered for every time step of the simulation in the log files.

As an example we can choose the following parameters for a solar thermal system:

• Average outdoor temperature (Tamb);
• Outflow temperature of the collector;
• Layer 3 in the storage tank.

Then the time period shall be defined in the “Period” tab, by clicking on “Add time period” and choosing the appropriate one. In the defined time period all simulation time steps are logged. As a default value May 1^st of the current year is used.

The result file will contain all time step values (the smallest time step can be 1 second). This feature helps to do a more detailed simulation analysis and it can be compared with the measured data on the field. The results of the simulation are saved in the previously defined folder. Here all logged data files can be found. You can take the last folder and then do the detailed analysis of the available data. With the given data you can sketch a graph which will show how the chosen parameters change during the day.

Then you can start your simulation by clicking on the ‘Start Multiple Simulation’.

The logged data for the chosen parameters can be found in the pre-defined folder under the name ‘Timesteps_variation_1.csv’

In this file the data is given for the whole year for each time step period for the chosen parameters.

In order to make a more detailed analysis a graph can be designed based on the given parameters.

In the last part of the ‘Parametrizing Wizard’ the presentation option of the output data can be defined. The following options are available:

Table: The data output format of the ‘Parametrizing Wizard’

Data output format	Description
‘Time step logging’	the results of the defined parameters in the ‘Output data’ for each time step during the defined ‘Period’
‘System diagram results’ and ‘Monthly diagram results’	the most important yearly or monthly values correspondingly for the given system. The same values are shown also in the ‘System results’. The system diagram results are saved in log files  VariantResultSummary.csv or Monthly_ VariantResultSummary.csv correspondingly.
‘Component results’ ‘and ‘Monthly component results’	yearly and monthly values correspondingly for components of the system. The log data are saved in the separate files for each component.
‘Output parameter results’ and ‘Monthly output parameter results’	simulation data for chosen parameters in the ‘Output data’ on the yearly and monthly basis correspondingly.
‘Loop results’	yearly simulation data for the fluid loops of the existing system.
‘Add min/max values to results’	allows adding minimum and maximum results to the chosen option of the output data.