The Modelica Buildings library 8.0.0 has been released on June 08, 2021.

Version 8.0.0  is a major release that contains the first version of the Spawn of EnergyPlus coupling that has been developed by LBNL and NREL in collaboration with Modelon and Objexx Engineering.

The library has been tested with Dymola 2021 and 2022, JModelica (revision 14023), and OPTIMICA (revision OCT-stable-r19089_JM-r14295).

The following major changes have been done:

  • The package Buildings.ThermalZones.EnergyPlus contains the first version of the Spawn of EnergyPlus coupling that is being developed at lbl-srg.github.io/soep. The Spawn coupling allows to model HVAC and controls in Modelica, and graphically connect to EnergyPlus models for thermal zones, schedules EMS actuators and output variables. This allows for example to model HVAC systems, HVAC controls and controls for active facade systems in Modelica, and use the EnergyPlus envelope model to simulate heat transfer through the building envelope, including the heat and light transmission through the windows for the current control signal of the active shade.
  • The package Buildings.Experimental.DHC contains models for district heating and cooling systems that are being developed for the URBANopt District Energy System software.
  • The new media Buildings.Media.Antifreeze.PropyleneGlycolWater allows modeling of propylene-glycol water mixtures.
  • A new cooling coil model Buildings.Fluid.HeatExchangers.WetCoilEffectivenessNTU has been added. This model is applicable for fully-dry, partially-wet, and fully-wet regimes. In contrast to Buildings.Fluid.HeatExchangers.WetCoilCounterFlow and to Buildings.Fluid.HeatExchangers.WetCoilDiscretized, this model uses the epsilon-NTU relationship rather than a spatial discretization of the coil. This leads to fewer state variables and generally to a faster simulation.
  • New simplified door models for bi-directional air exchange between thermal zones are implemented in Buildings.Airflow.Multizone.
  • Various other models have been improved or added, in particular for modeling of control sequences using the Control Description Language that has been developed in the OpenBuildingControl project at obc.lbl.gov.

For a detailed list of changes, see the release notes.