Apache Toolbar

 

The Apache toolbar provides a quick route to some of the options on the Apache pull-down menus.

Switch to ‘select object’ mode after operations in which a mouse click is interpreted in another way. ‘Select object’ is currently the only mode used in the Apache view.

Edit or view the construction type for the selected building elements. See ‘Changing the construction type for selected elements’.

Edit or view the Space Data for selected spaces. See ‘Editing Space Data’ for a set of spaces for details.

Assign a Space Thermal Template to the selected spaces. See ‘Assigning a Space Thermal Template’ to a set of spaces.

This facility lists the energy sources (fuels and electricity) used by the building and allows for the creation of meters attached to each energy source.

Default CO₂ emission factors are values specified by standards aplying to the location specified in ApLocate, where such are available.

Run APpro, the Apache profile database manager. APpro is used to create and edit profiles, which define the time-variation of many parameters input to the Apache and MacroFlo programs. Profiles are also accessed by the Template Manager.

 

Run APcdb, the Apache construction database manager. APcdb is used to create and edit construction types, which are assigned to building elements in the Apache view.

 

Run APlocate, the Apache weather and location database manager. APlocate is used to specify weather and location data to be used by the Apache thermal analysis programs.

 

Edit or view the attributes of a single selected object. The object may be a space or a building element, depending on the current level of decomposition. In the case of an element, with the decomposition mode set to adjacency, the Query function allows you to edit the element’s thermal boundary condition.

Edit or view the attributes of the selected space(s) in tabular form.

Edit or view Apache Systems. The Apache Systems allow you to describe the characteristics of systems supplying the heating, ventilating and air conditioning requirements of rooms. For details see the description of Apache Systems.

Edit or view renewables systems. The Renewables allow you to describe the characteristics of systems supplying energy to the building such as photovoltaics, wind turbines and CHP.

Edit Adjacent Condition of multiple external surfaces in the current selected spaces.  External walls, Ground Floors and Roofs can be edited simultaneously.

This can be used, for example, to assign a seasonally fluctuating temperature profile as the adjacency condition for ground floor constructions, to replicate the ground (earth) temperature.

In this instance, the selections chosen would be:

·     Type – Ground floors

·     Adjacent Condition – Temp from profile

o     This selection opens another option for temperature – select the profile that represents the annual ground temperature.

You can check what has been applied by using the Input Data Visualisation Tool: Surface adjacent Conditions is available under the category Other.

 

This option opens the Loads Methodology dialog box, and allows you to choose between ASHRAE and CIBSE for steady state heat loss or heat gain calculations.

The calculate Loads button at the bottom of the Apache workspace displays the current selected Loads methodology.

 

This options opens the Layer Properties dialog, and allows the manipulation of space layer properties.  The Properties  tab allows you to switch layers ON/OFF.  This option allows part of the model to be made inactive (switched OFF).  For the purpose of reducing the number of thermal zones, rooms, or spaces during initial simulation runs or for isolating a particular thermal zone, may sometimes be useful to place spaces on a separate layer that can then be turned OFF. This turns the space grey on the workspace and has the following outcome:

 

1. Spaces on layers that are turned OFF will be excluded from thermal simulation. The icons for these spaces will be grey in the Model Browser and such spaces will not be present in the Model Viewer.

 

2. No solar gain will be present on exterior roofs, walls, fenestration, etc. for these spaces.

 

3. No solar gain will be present on surfaces of interior walls, ceilings, etc. that are facing the interior of these spaces.

 

4. The SunCast calculations will not need to be re-run, so long as the geometry for the spaces that remain active has not changed.

 

5. There will be no heat transfer in either direction across adjacencies where these spaces abut other spaces i.e., shared walls, floors, ceilings, etc. will be treated as adiabatic.

 

6. For constructions of shared walls, floors, ceilings, etc., the physical properties of surfaces facing into spaces that remain on active layers will be unchanged. However, the thermal mass effects of these shared constructions will be somewhat reduced.  The boundary conditions for conductive elements of the building are dictated by conditions in the spaces either side of the element. These spaces may be internal or external. Where an adjacent space has been rendered inactive (for example by it being assigned in inactive layer, or not being ticked for inclusion in a <VE> Compliance analysis) the conditions on the far side are assumed to be identical to those on the near side (a reflexive boundary condition). In this way the thermal mass of the element is taken into account, while the time-averaged heat transfer through it tends to zero.

 

Refer to ApacheSim Calculation Methods section 3.5 Boundary Conditions for more information.

 

This option provides help on the Apache view.