Improving the efficiency of the numerical modelling of built environment earth-contact heat transfers

This paper reports on a method which has been developed to improve the effi ciency of the numerical simulation of built environment earth-contact heat transfers. This method modifies a numerical method by incorporating element s of the response factor method. Additionally, this paper reports on the us e of extrapolation techniques to further speed up one stage of the simulati on. Essentially, the method requires that a numerical technique be initiall y used to generate a certain number of simulated hours for use as a time-se ries by the response factor element of the method. This first ('pre-process ing') part of the procedure takes a certain time and this time can be signi ficantly reduced by means of the extrapolation techniques described in the paper. However, assuming that the earth-contact domain remains unchanged fr om then on, this 'pre-processing' does not need to repeated, and every subs equent simulation that is performed to calculate the effect on the earth-co ntact heat transfer of changing another parameter (i.e. during a parametric analysis) takes only a few seconds. Reductions in run-time for these succe ssive simulations are of the order of 1000 times faster than the Full finit e volume technique whilst still retaining the flexibility and accuracy of t his method. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.