A simulation approach to the evaluation of coupled heat and mass transfer in buildings

This paper describes the techniques used within the ESP environment to simulate coupled heat and mass flows in integrated building and plant systems. In particular, it describes the equation-sets used to represent inter-zonal (building) and inter-component (plant) fluid flow, the method used for the simultaneous solution of these non-linear equations, and the solution coupling of the heat and mass conservation equation-sets. By means of a brief description of a case study, the application in a real building performance evaluation context is demonstrated.