WinCalc

Warning: beware of using this for anything serious. This was done long ago as a Java learning exercise, and never validated. There are problems in the diffuse radiation calculation (at least) that may or may not ever be fixed. Feel free to dig into the source code.

WinCalc is a Java Applet that performs energy calculations on one or more windows (or other surfaces) exposed to the sun. Although the name makes it sound as if it is an application written for Microsoft Widows, it should, being Java, be more or less platform independent. Whenever I get an attack of imagination, I'll probably change the name.

This applet requires Java version 1.1.6 or later to operate. With Netscape, it requires version 4 or later. With Microsoft Internet Explorer, I am not sure where the breakpoint is, but know it works with version 5.0. On the Macintosh, it appears that Netscape isn't quite up to snuff yet. It does appear that you can on MacOS 8.1 (or better) install Apple's MRJ (Mac Runtime for Java) version 2,2 and run WinCalc as an application, an applet using the Appletviewer, or using MRJ as a plugin to Microsoft Internet Explorer. I have run it on Netscape under AIX, on RS/6000, and find it extremely slow. However, running it on the same platform using Appletviewer, it is quite snappy.

When this page is loaded, it also loads Wincalc. The applet is about 62Kbytes, and will take a little time to load if you are on a dialup connection. Wincalc brings up its own window, which can be resized as desired. Calculations are performed using "TMY" (Typical Meteorological Year) data (typically gzip-compressed. When Wincalc is first invoked, it does not load any data. You should see "Location: NOT LOADED" at the top of the left hand column. To make Wincalc do something, a TMY data file needs to be loaded, which can be done by selecting a city from the following list: ==Nothing Loaded== Abilene, TX Amarillo, TX Albuquerque, NM Austin, TX Brownsville, TX Corpus Christi, TX El Paso, TX FortWorth Houston, TX Lubbock, TX Lufkin, TX Midland, TX Port Arthur, TX San Angelo, TX San Antonio, TX Victoria, TX Waco, TX Wichita Falls, TX This causes WinCalc to download the selected TMY data file. Downloading takes a certain amount of time, especially if you are on a dialup connection, because the files, even when compressed, occupy nearly 250 Kbytes. Once the TMY file has been loaded, the Location field will be set to the appropriate city (such as Austin, TX), and other material will appear on the screen.

Screen Layout

Inputs

The left portion of the screen deals with specifying the inputs for the system to be analyzed. The top portion of the input area gives information about the location. As it stands, it will show information about the last location to be loaded, though in fact multiple locations can be loaded. This information is all taken from the TMY file that is loaded, and it cannot be altered.

Orientation Panel

Below the Location panel is a panel that is used for defining angular orientation of a surface or surfaces. Multiple orientations can be defined for a particular location, and the "<" and ">" buttons at the bottom of the location panel can be used to step through them. The "new" button creates a new orientation.

Two values determine an orientation, tilt angle (a horizontal surface is at zero degrees, a vertical at 90), and azimuth (measured from South, with West being positive).

When the program is invoked, one orientation, with Zero azimuth and 90 degree tilt (southfacing, vertical) is created. This is the default orientation for any new orientations that are created. The entry boxes can be used to change the values. New values take effect when the Enter key is pressed (Tab won't do it, for now).

Surface Panel and Window Panel

Associated with each Orientation can be one or more Surfaces. The Surfaces can be simple surfaces or windows. The "<" and ">" buttons at the bottom of the Orientation panel steps through them. Surfaces can be either a simple surface exposed to sunlight, or a window. The "New Surface" button creates a new simple surface, and the "New Window" button creates a new window. When a new Orientation is created, a single Window surface is also created. Default parameters for a surface are an area of 1 square meter and a ground reflectivity of 0.15. New Window surfaces have the additional default values of UVALUE = 1 BTUH/Ft2-F (5.67 W/m2-C), about the value for a singe pane window. The other window parameter is the Solar Heat Gain Coeficient (SHGC), set by default to 0.8.

Output Screens

Graphs

One of the output panels shows graphs of input or calculated data. The top portion of this panel is a selection list showing all of the data items that are available for graphing. Items are toggled selected / deselected with a mouse click.

Two different graphs are currently available,the Daily Graph and the Hourly Graph. The "<" and ">" buttons labeled "Graph Selection" toggle between them.

The Daily Graph displays the selected data items over the period of one day. The Hour Graph shows the selected items at a particular hour, over the period of one year.

It is expected that other graphs will be added.

Other Output Screens

Each surface defines one or more output screens that summarize behavior of the surface by month. The content of these is easy to change, hance likely to be volatile as I experiment with different ways of looking at the data. Use the "Output Selection [<][>]" buttons to see the available data.

Code Status

This is by no means a finished program. I have placed it up here because it is starting to do something interesting, and I think it is far enough along to be useful (from an educational, not engineering, standpoint) to someone who wants to study the thermal performace of windows exposed to the sun.

Here is an incomplete list of bugs to fix and features that I want to attack (listed without order).

• Apparent problems in event processing. Excessively long update times for unit system change.
• Change the name to something other than WinCalc.
• Graphs need color management
• Graphs need labels
• Vertical axis ticks & grids disappear for small values.
• Panels to specify HVAC and Utility characteristics.
• I need to derate SHGC based on angle of incidence.
• Need status bar.
• Properly handle input screens for multiple locations.
• Truncated fields on input panels.
• Only perform output screen calculations when the particular screen is visible: if it is visible and something changes, or when it is made newly visible, and an update is pending.
• Window shading structures.
• Shading vegetation...pretty big deal.
• Derate SHGC for non-normal angles.
• Some programmability of initial state, instead of having it all hardwired.
• Scripting (Tcl?).
• Parameterized defaults.
• Parameterized output screens.
• Parameterized graphs.
• Nice, tabbed layout manager for the output screen.

Operation as an Application

WinCalc is written to be used as a standalone application. More about how to do this later.

Source code is in this directory.

Documentation is here.