Influence of sensor position in building thermal control: development and validation of an adapted zone model

This paper presents the development of a zone model adapted to the study of the influence of the sensor position in building thermal control. The temperature measured by the sensor of a room temperature controller depends on its position in the zone. The measured sensor temperature depends of the convective coupling of the zone and its emitter and can differ from the “mean air temperature”. Models, currently used for control studies, are either too simplified (well-mixed models) or are not generic enough to provide a flexible and usable testing tool for room controllers. The important phenomena, to be represented in the model, are analysed experimentally and by detailed simulation. From this analysis, a detailed list of criteria for the development of zone models is obtained. The criteria are used to develop a new model. The proposed model is able to distinguish between air temperature and sensor temperature with time variation depending on air movements. An application for  a zone conditioned by a fan coil unit illustrates the model. Validations of the model are carried out in a real test room.