Multi-year application of the three-dimensional numerical generation of response factors (NGRF) method in the prediction of conductive temperatures in soil and passive cooling earth-contact components

A recently developed method named the three-dimensional numerical generation of response factors NGRF (Zoras and Kosmopoulos, 2009) was claimed to be fast, accurate and flexible as a result of incorporating elements of the response factor method into a finite volume technique based numerical model. The presented paper reports on the application of the NGRF method for the numerical prediction of temperatures within and around structural passive cooling components over multi-year temperature profiles. Once the numerical temperature response factors time series of an earth-contact component’s grid node had been generated then its future thermal performance due to any surrounding temperature variation can be predicted fast and accurately. The NGRF method was, successfully, applied through an intermodel testing procedure to simulate soil and structural earth-contact passive cooling component temperatures for multiple years.

► In this study we model for a three year period an earth-contact domain. ► Temperatures in soil and structure have been predicted. ► Three year thermal performance of passive cooling components is calculated. ► The NGRF method claims to more efficient than pure numerical models. ► NGRF method can be applied in any whole building thermal simulation tool.