A simulator was developed for a laboratory and its operating HVAC system. The simulator consists of a room, re-heating coil, valve and damper, actuator, sensors, and controller. All of the components of the laboratory simulator, except for the room models, are taken from the literature. The room model includes algorithms to generate both steady and transient pressure and thermal responses under various operating conditions. The room pressure is tied to the lab safety constraints while the thermal response relates to occupant comfort. In order to validate both room pressure and thermal models, a series of experimental results were used. The results were obtained from a series of tests conducted in a testing laboratory for building control products. Both pressure and thermal models are tested against measurements. The agreement between the simulated and actual response is good considering that the actual data were collected using commercial-grade sensors and a building automation system. This paper presents the details of the test laboratory, experimental setup, simulation process to validate the models, the test sequences, and the results comparing the actual and simulated data. The simulator is found to be a promising approach to designing and understanding the laboratory environment. The simulator provides insight into the dynamic interaction of the different control systems and the response of the laboratory environment. The simulator may serve as a model for developing the next generation of laboratory controllers.

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