MacroFlo is a simulation program for the design and appraisal of naturally ventilated and mixed-mode buildings. MacroFlo runs as an adjunct to APsim, exchanging data at run-time to achieve a fully integrated simulation of air and thermal exchanges.
The following issues may be addressed with MacroFlo:
· Infiltration
· Single-sided ventilation
· Cross-ventilation
· Natural ventilation as a whole-building strategy
· Temperature-controlled window opening
· Mixed-mode solutions (used in conjunction with ApHVAC)
MacroFlo simulates the flow of air through openings in the building envelope. Openings are associated with windows, doors and holes created in the geometry model and may take the form of cracks or larger apertures. Air flow is driven by pressures arising from wind and buoyancy forces (stack effect). It also takes account of mechanical air flows set up in ApHVAC.
Input data for MacroFlo is prepared in the MacroFlo application. Working from an editable database of Opening Types the user assigns opening properties to windows and doors in the model. This process follows the same pattern as the assignment of construction types for the thermal analysis.
Opening Type properties allow for the specification of crack characteristics, the degree and timing of window opening and (as appropriate) its dependence on room temperature. Opening Types may be stored in a Template.
Holes are automatically assigned special Opening Type properties that mean they are always 100% open for the purposes of MacroFlo.
