CFD simulations are often used for detailed airflow studies which cannot be simulated with EnergyPlus (as accurately). Does anyone have any experience with feeding CFD simulation results as external data (dynamically) into EnergyPlus models - if at all possible ? Can anyone give recommendations on the subject ?
DesignBuilder has a CFD module that is coupled to EnergyPlus. You can import DesignBuilder EnergyPlus simulation outputs at the selected simulation time-step and feed them into the CFD calculation as boundary conditions for surface temperatures, opening airflows etc. You need to select the results at a specific time so it isn't dynamic/automatic but the import process is automated once selected. There is a webinar on the DesignBuilder website (Training > Online Learning > Webinars) that shows the basic process.
This is an old thread but one might still find this useful. You can couple EnergyPlus AFN simulations and CFD with ClimateStudio (www.solemma.com) and Eddy3d (www.eddy3d.com). You would need to run the CP workflows in Eddy and then pass them along to ClimateStudio at the window level. This can all be automated nicely in Grasshopper.
Comments
DesignBuilder has a CFD module. I'm not sure if it feeds into EnergyPlus the way that you want, but worth exploring. There is also Butterfly from Ladybug Tools. Again, not sure about integration.