Ironbug Preview Release

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Hello community!

Today, I am excited to announce the Ironbug Preview release. Since the beta version that released last summer (this post), I have been using Ironbug’s HVAC components to model both LEED baseline and proposed energy model for three real projects in our office, which include a 160,000 sqft school, a 190,000 sqft office building, and a 1,200,000 sqft 60 floors high-rise commercial building, with all different types of systems in current Honeybee energy modeling workflow. So it is totally possible to do the full energy modeling in Grasshopper with Honeybee. With this new integrated workflow, we are able to minimize the efforts to approach the solutions, the process to full energy modeling, which gives us extra days to really dig into the results and understand some HVAC behaviors.

Lessons learned and experiences can now really be preserved and shared to others; A similar system can be replicated from one project to another with Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V (this might sounds like a joke, but it was impossible in HVAC energy modeling world; as same as Ctrl+Z).

Ironbug has been constantly improved and tested in those three projects, and also upgraded based on comments from @josh.greenfield, @Elliot_Glassman, @HAOBOLIU, @TWANG1017 etc,. Thanks for your testing, and providing variable feedbacks.

For those who hasn’t been following the updates of this project, Ironbug is a group of tools that are written in C# to broad and improve the current Ladybug tools’ capacities and performances. It currently includes two components, ImageViewer, SortByLayers in Laybug category; two components, ReadAnnualResultsIII, IntersectMassesII in Honeybee category; and additional more than 130 HVAC components (by April 14th, 2019) that enables the abailabity for customizing OpenStudio airloops, plantloops, VRF and zone equipments in Grasshopper.

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Installation Instructions:

  1. Download the Ironbug.zip (2.1 MB) from Github release page and unblock the file.

    unblock

  2. Unzip all files to C:\Ironbug , and open 00_installer.gh in Grasshopper. (All Rhino versions supported)

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  1. Set toggle to true to install.
    Make sure you have OpenStudio 2.5.0 installed at “C:\openstudio-2.5.0”.
    (I have been testing Ironbug with OpenStudio 2.8, and it will be supported when it is released)

  2. Restart the Grasshopper, and you should be able to find Ironbug tab like this:

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    Start with Ironbug_HVACTemplates and enjoy!

Some resources:

  1. Add HVAC system from templates.
  1. EnergyPlus Documents
  1. Add output probes to loop.
  1. Create a VRF + DOAS system (this video might be old, but the concept and workflow is the same)
  1. Hydra Share https://hydrashare.github.io/hydra/
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Enjoy!
-Mingbo Peng

21 Likes
2

@MingboPeng Thanks for your excellent work. Ironbug is a wonderful plug-in for HVAC engineer.

2 Likes
3

@MingboPeng Thanks for your really good work!

4

Wonderful work Mingbo!! Thank you!!!

5

Thanks, Mingbo. Incredible work on your part, have enjoyed test driving it.

6

@MingboPeng Excellent work! You open a new door to build up a detailed energy model in GH platform!

7

Thanks, it helps a lot to model detailed HVAC with better visualisation,

8

Thank you for this. I’ve tried installing it, but for some reason, I’m not getting an ironbug tab. The ironbug file has been copied to the right folder, I’ve restarted rhino and grasshopper several times, but still no tab is showing.

9

Did you unblock the zip file?
-A.

10

I have downloaded Ironbug version V0.0.14, but there was A problem：
（1. The simulation has not run correctly because of this severe error:
** Severe ** ZoneHVAC:LowTemperatureRadiant:SurfaceGroup = ZONE HVAC LOW TEMPERATURE RADIANT VARIABLE FLOW 2CEILINGS does not have any surfaces listed.
）
when I applied the self-provided template “Default/Sys13_RadiantPanel+DOAS”. I don’t know whether it was the problem of my computer or other reason .
Thank you

11

@zhfu89

Did you set “radiant panel” construction correctly to ceilings?
Here is an example from @chris : http://hydrashare.github.io/hydra/viewer?owner=chriswmackey&fork=hydra_2&id=Custom_Radiant_Heating_Cooling_System&slide=0&scale=1&offset=0,0

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1 Like
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Hello, I am having the same issue of @zhfu89 with my OpenStudio simulation, but with the typologies “Custom Rad Surfaces+DOAS” and “Heated Surfacs+VAV cooling”. This is what I get from the ReadMe:
{0;0}
0. Current document units is in Meters

  1. Conversion to Meters will be applied = 1.000
  2. Current working directory is set to: c:\ladybug\simulazioniPLANNER-TO2020-monofam-pre1945\OpenStudio
  3. Can’t find ddy file next to the EPW.
  4. Extreme values from the weather file design will be used instead.
  5. Currently OpenStudio component des not support .csv file as a schedule.
    The schedule: c:\ladybug\EPCSVSchedules\SCHPL-SDF-OCCUPSCHEDULE.csv will be written into IDF after it is translated from an OSM.
  6. Currently OpenStudio component des not support .csv file as a schedule.
    The schedule: c:\ladybug\EPCSVSchedules\SCHPL-SDF-OCCUPSCHEDULE.csv will be written into IDF after it is translated from an OSM.
  7. Custom Radiant HVAC selected
    but no surfaces with Internal Source constructions were found.
  8. Model saved to: c:\ladybug\simulazioniPLANNER-TO2020-monofam-pre1945\OpenStudio\simulazioniPLANNER-TO2020-monofam-pre1945.osm
  9. OSM > IDF: c:/ladybug/simulazioniPLANNER-TO2020-monofam-pre1945/OpenStudio/simulazioniPLANNER-TO2020-monofam-pre1945/ModelToIdf/in.idf
  10. Program Version,EnergyPlus, Version 8.9.0-eba93e8e1b, YMD=2020.07.14 11:13,
  12. ************* Beginning Zone Sizing Calculations
  14. ** Warning ** ProcessScheduleInput: Schedule:Constant=“ALWAYS OFF DISCRETE”, Blank Schedule Type Limits Name input – will not be validated.
  16. ** Warning ** ProcessScheduleInput: Schedule:Constant=“ALWAYS ON CONTINUOUS”, Blank Schedule Type Limits Name input – will not be validated.
  18. ** Warning ** GetHTSurfaceData: Surfaces with interface to Ground found but no “Ground Temperatures” were input.
  20. ** ~~~ ** Found first in surface=ZONE_4_SRF_0
  22. ** ~~~ ** Defaults, constant throughout the year of (18.0) will be used.
  24. ************* Beginning System Sizing Calculations
  26. ** Warning ** Since Zone Minimum Air Flow Input Method = CONSTANT, input for Fixed Minimum Air Flow Rate will be ignored.
  28. ** ~~~ ** Occurs in AirTerminal:SingleDuct:VAV:NoReheat = AIR TERMINAL SINGLE DUCT VAV NO REHEAT 1
  30. ** Warning ** Since Zone Minimum Air Flow Input Method = CONSTANT, input for Fixed Minimum Air Flow Rate will be ignored.
  32. ** ~~~ ** Occurs in AirTerminal:SingleDuct:VAV:NoReheat = AIR TERMINAL SINGLE DUCT VAV NO REHEAT 2
  34. ** Severe ** ZoneHVAC:LowTemperatureRadiant:SurfaceGroup = ZONE HVAC LOW TEMPERATURE RADIANT VARIABLE FLOW 1ALLSURFACES does not have any surfaces listed.
  36. ** Severe ** ZoneHVAC:LowTemperatureRadiant:SurfaceGroup flow fractions do not add up to unity for ZONE HVAC LOW TEMPERATURE RADIANT VARIABLE FLOW 1ALLSURFACES
  38. ** Severe ** ZoneHVAC:LowTemperatureRadiant:SurfaceGroup = ZONE HVAC LOW TEMPERATURE RADIANT VARIABLE FLOW 2ALLSURFACES does not have any surfaces listed.
  40. ** Severe ** ZoneHVAC:LowTemperatureRadiant:SurfaceGroup flow fractions do not add up to unity for ZONE HVAC LOW TEMPERATURE RADIANT VARIABLE FLOW 2ALLSURFACES
  42. ** Severe ** ZoneHVAC:LowTemperatureRadiant:SurfaceGroup errors found getting input. Program will terminate.
  44. ** Fatal ** GetSurfaceListsInputs: Program terminates due to preceding conditions.
  46. …Summary of Errors that led to program termination:
  48. … Reference severe error count=5
  50. … Last severe error=ZoneHVAC:LowTemperatureRadiant:SurfaceGroup errors found getting input. Program will terminate.
  52. ************* Warning: Node connection errors not checked - most system input has not been read (see previous warning).
  54. ************* Fatal error – final processing. Program exited before simulations began. See previous error messages.
  56. ************* EnergyPlus Warmup Error Summary. During Warmup: 0 Warning; 0 Severe Errors.
  58. ************* EnergyPlus Sizing Error Summary. During Sizing: 5 Warning; 5 Severe Errors.
  60. ************* EnergyPlus Terminated–Fatal Error Detected. 5 Warning; 5 Severe Errors; Elapsed Time=00hr 00min 1.93sec

I’m actually not even using Ironbug, only the Honeybee component “Assign HVAC System” with Heating and Cooling details. @MingboPeng do you have any idea why is this happening?

13

Hi @davinogiulio,

I think the problem is you did not define an internal source in your construction. This is needed when you choose the option radiant surfaces.

You will find more information in the link to hydrashare which Mingbo Peng sent in his post.