DIAGNOSTIC HARDWARE SOFTWARE SYSTEM FOR ENVIRONMENT CONTROLLERS

A system consisting of a commercial environment controller attached to a personal computer programmed to execute a dynamic simulation model for broiler house thermal response was designed. The building model up dates interior environment from solution of first order heat and moist ure balances. Feedback of predicted interior temperature is provided t o the controller; heating and ventilation equipment assigned in the mo del affect heat and moisture balances and hence the system response. A n object oriented design approach was utilized and described. Governin g equations for the building and controller temperature circuit dynami c response were solved in real time with a series of simulations to as sess the response of the interior environment to different controller settings. Assessments of controller stage differential, building minim um ventilation rate and system sampling time are provided for a simula ted broiler house. The combination of an environment controller and a building thermal model such as that presented here can be used to eval uate environment controllers and building heating and ventilating desi gn, as well as for training purposes.