Welcome to the github repository of VCVTB, The Ventilation Controls Virtual Test Bed
VCVTB is an opensource EnergyPlus version 8 based virtual test bed for the accelerated modelling, testing and comparing of single and mixed-mode ventilation systems and their control strategies. It originates from the doctoral research of ir. arch. Bert Belmans under the supervision of prof. dr. ir. arch. Filip Descamps.
Although VCVTB is fully functional, a lot of manual adjustments are still needed during use. It should be seen as a research tool and a proof of concept/pathway to integrated software for designing and assessing ventilation strategies.
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24/01/2019: The VCVTB paper is available online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.01.027
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17/01/2019: The VCVTB paper was accepted by Building and Environment.
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7/01/2019: The VCVTB paper was revised and resubmitted to Building and Environment.
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22/10/2018: My grandfather, the greatest supporter of this research, had the chance to read the submitted version in hospital. He passed away on 23/10. VCVTB is dedicated to him as a last tribute to a great person and an eternal source of inspiration.
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21/10/2018: An original research paper on VCVTB titled "Set-up and Evaluation of a Virtual Test Bed for Simulating and Comparing Single-and Mixed-Mode Ventilation Strategies" was submitted to the international peer-reviewed journal 'Building and Environment".
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14/10/2018: launch of VCVTB Github repository.
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14/03/2017: AIVC workshop on IAQ metrics in Brussels: Birth of the current version of VCTVB with integrated AFN calculations in every timestep, and inclusion of detailed user behaviour.
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01/01/2014: Start of PhD Research at Vrije Universiteit Brussel after having worked as an architect for two years.
- The Book of VCVTB provides a first overview of functionalities and dependencies.
- A compiled custom EnergyPlus version can be found in the CORE Folder.
- Due to the size of the test bed comments, paths and files will be added, updated and translated in English on a dropwise basis.
- VCVTB has a folder-based OpenFOAM-like setup. For privacy reasons original paths and passwords are anonymised. They will be adapted to generic paths in the future.
Please reference VCVTB by citing this paper:
B. Belmans, D. Aerts, S. Verbeke, A. Audenaert, F. Descamps, Set-up and evaluation of a virtual test bed for simulating and comparing single- and mixed-mode ventilation strategies, Building and Environment, Volume 151, 2019, Pages 97-111, ISSN 0360-1323, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.01.027. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132319300290)
A doctoral thesis on VCVTB is in preparation.
- VCVTB v.1.0.0 is dropwise made available in this repository "As it is".
- I will post weekly updates until the entire platform is online, but at the moment my focus is on finalizing the text of my PhD research. Priority is given to complementing "The Book of VCVTB" in the main folder and the "README" file in the IN folder, because it doesn't seem very useful to throw a lot of scripts online without the required user guidelines.
For the time being, feel free to take a look around, ask questions and make suggestions.
Bert Belmans