WINDOW 6.3 Knowledge Base
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Last update:04/09/12 04:44 PM
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WINDOW 6.3
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CONTENTS
INSTALLATION:
Uninstall previous WINDOW 5 programs, including 5.1 and any beta versions.
Locked Files with Install/De-install
If you get this
message during uninstall, click ‘Ignore’
Installation Problems
In
order to install the program with the Microsoft NT (4.0), 2000, and XP, you must
be Administrator or part of the
Administrators Group on your machine. To check if you are Administrator, do the
following:
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Go
to Control Panel, then "Users and Password" in Microsoft 2000, or "User
Accounts" in Microsoft XP |
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Find
the current username (yours) and look in the group column. It should say:
Administrators |
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If
the current username does NOT say Administrators, contact your IT
department to become Administrator, or to have someone with Administrator
privileges install the program on the machine. |
Minimum
computer requirements:
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Pentium class or better. |
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At least 32 MB of random access memory (RAM). For optimal operation,
64 MB or more of RAM is preferrable. |
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Microsoft Windows 98TM, Windows 2000TM,
Windows XPTM, Windows METM,
or Windows NTTM.
(The program WILL NOT run with Windows 3.1TM, Windows NT 3.51TM
or Windows 95TM). |
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Hard disk drive with at least 40 MB of available disk space |
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Printer supported by Microsoft Windows (serial, parallel, or shared
over a network). |
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Optics5 Note:
The latest version of
Optics5
that is available for download IS compatible with WINDOW 5.2. |
Reporting
Computer System Info to LBNL for Troubleshooting
"Incompatible
version of the RPC stub" Message
When the installation is started, the following
error message occurs:
Error number: 0x80070725
Description: Incompatible version of the RPC stub
The error appears as the following image:
This
error is caused by an incompatible version of a DLL that was installed on the
system, such as Oleaut32.dll, Olepro32.dll, Asycfilt.dll, Stdole2.tlb. For
example, version 3.50 of Oleaut32.dll is installed and used only by Windows XP
and so causes this error if it is installed on a machine running any other
operating system.
Fixing
the problem depends on your operating system. Go to this InstallShield website
(InstallShield is the program used by LBNL for the WINDOW5 installation) where
there are various resolutions depending on the computer setup:
http://support.installshield.com/kb/view.asp?articleid=q105810
back to top
NEW
FEATURES:
Frame Library:
The Frame Library Detailed View now shows feedback about what set of
temperature results are being used for the CR calculation.
The Window Library CR calculation uses the
appropriate values from the Frame Library based on the type of profile cross
section. For example, for vertical cross sections, the U-value temperatures are
used, and for horizontal cross sections, the CR temperatures are used if they
have been calculated (if they have not been calculated, then the whole product
CR value is not calculated).
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| CR values are
based on THERM U-factor temperatures if the CR feature is not modeled in
the THERM file |
CR values are
based on the THERM CR temperatures if the CR feature is modeled in the
THERM file |
DOE2:
WINDOW 5 Input File for DOE2
WINDOW 5 can write an input file that can be used with the DOE2 simulation
program. Click here for a detailed explanation
of the steps.
DOE-2 Input File Notes
 |
Units:
The DOE2 file that WINDOW generates is always in SI units, and can be
incorporated in SI units into a complete DOE2 input file even if that
file is in IP units. All
the GLASS-TYPE-CODE (both BDL glass library and Window4/5/6 export data)
keywords in DOE2 are assumed to be in SI units regardless of whether the
BDL input units are set to English vs. Metric. |
DOE-2 File -- Overall &
Center-of-Glass U-values Identical
In the "Overall and Center of Glass Ig
U-values" section of the DOE2 file generated by WINDOW, the Overall and
Center-of-Glass values are both identical, and are both the Center-of-Glass
values. The report does not contain the Overall U-value of the product. DOE2
does not need that value, as it calculates it's own U-value for every time step,
so this bug does not produce inaccurate results in DOE2.
COMPLEX GLAZING MODELING:
DOE2 and EnergyPlus
The Research Version of
WINDOW 6 can generate the standard window description file for either DOE2
or EnergyPlus for "simple" windows, i.e., those without shading layers
(venetian blinds, woven shades, frits, etc). This file is the same file that
is produced by the WINDOW 5 program.
However, for "complex glazings", i.e., windows that
include shading layers (such as venetian blinds, woven shades, frits, etc),
WINDOW 6 currently does not produce results that can be used by either the DOE2 or EnergyPlus
programs. This is something that is in development, but in the mean time, if
you try to generate either a DOE2 or EnergyPlus file from the Window
Library, WINDOW6 will show a message saying "Energy Plus and DOE-2 reports
are not currently available for windows with shading layers".
Frit Bug
When a frit layer is imported
into the Glass Library, even thought you can specify the properties for Tb
(back transmittance), the resulting layer in the glass library has the same
front and back reflectance. This happens both for visible and for solar.
Complex Glazing Features for WINDOW6
The Research Version of
WINDOW 6 has the
following modeling capabilities:
Shading Layer Library:
A Shading Layer Library has been added
to define shading systems, such as venetian blinds and diffusing layers,
which can then be added as layers in the Glazing System Library.
Shade Material Library:
A Shade Material Library has been
added to define materials to be used in the Shading Layer Library.
Properties defined in this library include shade material reflectance
and absorptance (in the solar, visible and IR wavelengths ranges), as
well as the conductivity of the material.
Glazing System Library
In the “Layers” section of the Glazing
System definition, it is now possible to specify either a glass layer or
a shading layer. The shading system is chosen from the Shading Layer
Library.
Glass Library
It is now possible to define a
diffusing layer in the Glass Library, for use in the definition of
complex glazing systems.
Calculation Results
The program now produces detailed
“matrix” calculation for complex glazing systems. These results consist
of one file that contains a large amount of data.
An
Excel spreadsheet has been developed to view these
results outside the program.
Program Settings:
Preferences:
A Matrix Calculation
method option has been added for the complex glazing system
calculations, which is the method that calculates the angular effects
(both optical and thermal) of venetian blinds.
W6 Database with Frit Records
Download this zip file (w6db-frit.zip)
which contains a WINDOW 6 database (w6-frit.mdb) with sample frit records for
Clear and White Diffuse Frits in the Glass Library if you have a WINDOW 6
database without the frit records. Then from the Glass Library List View, click
the Import button, Browse to this database, and import the 4 frit records from
it.
You will also need to import the two frit records from the Shading Layer
Library (if they do not already exist).
TIPS:
Detailed List of Recent
Version Fixes
Detailed WINDOW
OutputWINDOW produces an output file
with details of input and output to the calculation algorithms. It can be used
to determine various values of interest. This file is called W5DEBUG.DAT,
and can be generated as follows:
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Start W5, go to File, Preferences
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Check the "Debug Output" box
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Click OK.
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When you now perform a calculation on a
WINDOW, the program will save the debug information in a file called
w5debug.dat.
Every calculation that is performed gets appended to the end of the
file.
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Perform a calculation on the window or
glazing system that you are interested in. Close the program, and use
the Microsoft Search program to find the file (Start, Search). It is a
little unpredictable where this file gets written. It was meant as an
internal debug aid, so it is not very user friendly.
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open the file
w5debug.dat using Notepad or
any other editor.
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There are 2 sections written to the file for
every calculation. One for the U-value (ie winter) conditions and one
for the SHGC (ie summer) conditions. You are probably only interested in
the U-value section. Each section starts with
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"Calling WINASH:" which lists the parameters
that are send to the calculation routine. and then there is a part
titled "Returning from WINASH:". This is what you are interested in.
Here are some values which may be of
interest:
hcon_in=2.524372
hcon_out=26.000000
hrad_in=4.627796
hrad_out=3.213740
hin=7.152168
hout=29.213739
where
"h" stands for film coefficient in W/m2K
"con" stands for convection
"rad" stands for radiation
"in" is interior (room side)
"out" is exterior (outside)
"hin" is the total interior film coefficient
"hout" is the total outside film coefficient
This feature is somewhat buggy, so the next time
you start W5, the "Debug Output" check box will still be checked (under
Preferences), but the program doesn't produce the debug file (it forgot that
it is checked). To reset the Debug checkbox, uncheck the box, close the
program, start the program again, and check the box. Now the program will
created debug output again for that session of the program. The file keeps
growing, because every calculation is added to the end. It might be good to
delete or rename the file after you've extracted information, so that the
file doesn't grow to large. The best way to look at it, is to always go to
the end of the w5debug.dat
file and start looking up.
Glazing System Height:
The Center of Glass (COG) U-factor for a glazing system
is height dependant in ISO15099. The default height for calculating glazing
systems in the Glazing System Library is 1 meter, you can change this
default under File, Preferences, Glazing System Height. If you place a
glazing system in a window (with frame elements) in the Window Library, it
automatically recalculated the Center of Glass U-factor for the real height
of the window. So the first solution (changing the default) is only needed
if you only calculate Center of Glass numbers in the Glazing System Library.
Glazing System -- Outside to
Inside Layer Convention:
The layers in the Glazing System Library are
displayed from outside to inside, left to right. So Layer 1 is the layer next to
the exterior boundary conditions during the calculation
Laminated Glass:
In order to model laminated glass constructions in WINDOW5, do the
following:
Project Databases
It is possible to make a much smaller WINDOW5 project database by saving
only the records in each library that are used in the defined glazing systems
and windows. It is also possible to import and export records between databases.
Click here for a detailed explanation of how
this feature works.
Special Gases
Library
(updated 12/6/2010)
A small WINDOW database (which can be used with either WINDOW 5 or WINDOW 6) has been created that contains
special gases. To add these gases to a WINDOW5 or WINDOW6 database, download
the zip file LBNLSpecialGases.zip, and unzip the file called
LBNLSpecialGases.mdb into the WINDOW5 or WINDOW6 directory (this
location will depend on your operating system). Then use the Import button in the Gas Library List View
from any WINDOW5 or WINDOW6 database, set Format = Window 5 Database, use the Browse button
to select the LBNLSpecialGases.mdb file to import from, and then select the two
gases. They are numbered starting with ID #9, so if those IDs are already defined
in your Gas Library, the program will ask if you want to renumber them at import
time. The gases will be imported as protected records.
Import Glass
Layers from IGDB or Optics5 User Database
or
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Import Glass Layers from Optics5 User Database:
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In WINDOW5, in
File/Preferences, go to the Optical Data tab, and set the second option, Optics5 User Database, to your Optics5 user
database (which by default is called UserGlazing.mdb, but it can have any
name with the "mdb" extension)
-- you can browse to the file with the browse button
(its default location is in Program Files\LBNL\LBNL Shared directory). |
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In WINDOW5, go to the Glass
Library List View, click on the Import button, select "IGDB or Optics User Database" as the
format, and click OK. |
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The program will open the user
database set in the File/Preferences dialog box (the
name will be displayed at the top of the dialog box) and you will see the glass layers that can be
imported in to the existing library. |
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You can select the records
you want to import (use Shift Click to select contiguous records, Ctl
Click to select multiple non-contiguous records, or Select All to select all records). Then click the Select
button, which will import
the selected records into the Glass Library. |
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Program Crash at
Startup
If you see the following error message upon startup of
WINDOW5, you may have a conflict with your computer's video driver that prevents
WINDOW5 from displaying correctly.
WINDOW5 uses OpenGL which is a component of DirectX to
generate the program graphics.
To fix this problem, try the following:
- Download and install the latest version of Microsoft
DirectX (from the Microsoft DirectX page:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx?url=/Windows/DirectX/downloads/
- If that doesn't help, try to find a more current
display driver for the graphics card (from the card vendor) in your
computer.
Exporting
WINDOW 4.1 Spectral Data Text Files from WINDOW 5
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Go to the Glass Library
List View |
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Select the records to
export from WINDOW5 to WINDOW 4.1 spectral data file format |
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Click on the Export button |
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Select the radio button
"Selected Records" |
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Set Format to "Window
4" |
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Click on the OK button |
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The files will be saved
into the directory where the WINDOW 5 database is located. The name of the
files will be the same as the "Name" field in the WINDOW 5 Glass
Library. |
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Copy (using Microsoft
Windows Explorer or other method) those files into the WINDOW 4.1 W4Lib\SpecDat
directory (or whatever directory structure set up by the user for WINDOW
4.1). |
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Some of the newer glass
library file names are not in the old WINDOW 4.1 "8 character name, 3
character extension" format, and so will need to be renamed (in
Microsoft Windows Explorer or other method) before being added to the WINDOW 4.1 Glass Library |
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In WINDOW 4.1, go to the
Glass Library |
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Do Add, New, then type the
ID number to use (keep it the same as that in WINDOW5 for consistency) |
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Type the name of the file,
exactly the same as the name of the file moved into the SpecDat directory,
press the Enter key (don't enter any of the values for the glass layer). |
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Press Esc to get out of
Edit mode |
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Add more as necessary |
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When you have finished
adding all the desired records and are no longer in Edit mode, do Update,
type the record numbers to update, and WINDOW 4.1 will look for the
filenames specified, and update the values based on the files it finds in
the SpecDat directory, including the # if it was assigned in the WINDOW 5
database. |
back to top
UV Transmittance values
reported in WINDOW
WINDOW reports
three different values in the whole window report for transmittance:
Tuv (TUV in the
Standards file) is the
unweighted transmittance over the ultraviolet. Because it is unweighted by a
"detector" function, TUV has no correction for the spectral sensitivity of
materials to radiation damage. It doesn't even cover the spectral range in which
damage occurs, just the "uv" meaning below the visible. This function is
included for historical comparison purposes only, since many manufacturers used
this function before corrected functions were available. It is believed to have
little meaning.
Tdw-K (TKR in the Standards file) is weighted by the old Krochmann damage function which purports to
correct for the sensitivity of many materials. While more meaningful than TUV,
it is also included for "historical" purposes, because it was included in ISO
9050 and perhaps in CEN standards before the latest recommendations by CIE.
Tdw-ISO (TDW in the Standards file) is weighted using a function recommended in the CIE standard which
also derives from the work of Krochmann, but is considered to have more general
validity. We had the opportunity to harmonize with CIE when the NFRC standard
was last updated and we took it.
WINDOW 5.2 database
Download
WINDOW 5.2 clean database (a zip file called W5.zip, 14 MB, which contains
W5.mdb with IGDB version 16.3) in case you have a corrupted database (W5.mdb).
This file is normally located in the WINDOW 5.2 program directory, which
defaults to
c:\Program Files\LBNL\WINDOW5. If you already have a W5.mdb file in that
directory, you should rename or move it before copying this file. Otherwise, the
older database will get overwritten.
Window
Library -- CR Calculation Warning
When you do a calculation on a window in the
Window Library, you may get this message:
CR Data will not be
available unless you resimulate the Therm File with a current version of
Therm
If you see this message, make sure that when
you calculate the frames for that window in THERM that you have the "Use CR
Model for Glazing System" checked in the Therm File Options tab (accessed from
Options menu, Preferences choice).
Using EN 410 Standards File with
WINDOW
The prEN_410.std file that ships with WINDOW and Optics
does not work in WINDOW 5/6, because WINDOW 5/6 cannot do all the color
calculations that Optics can do. A modified file, prEN_410-WINDOW.std, can be used with WINDOW 5/6, but only the results for
Solar (Tsol, Rfsol, Rbsol, etc) and Photopic (Tvis, Rvis, etc) and TUV (Tuv) are
correct. The color and other optical property results from using this
standards file are identical to those that would calculated using the
W5_NFRC_2003 standards file. Download
prEN_410-WINDOW.zip,
which contains
prEN_410-WINDOW.std, and put it in the C:\Program Files\LBNL\LBNL
Shared\Standards directory.
Migrating WINDOW 5
databases to WINDOW 6
There are a few things to be aware of when
migrating databases from WINDOW 5 to WINDOW 6. See this
PowerPoint presentation from a
training session about this issue.
FIXED
BUGS:
Changes from WINDOW 6 Research Version (6.1.02)
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Fixed a bug related to fritted
glass |
Changes from WINDOW 6 Research Version (6.0.32)
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Woven Shades were added as a
shading type in the Shading System Library. |
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Fritted Glass was added as a
shading type in the Shading System Library |
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In File, Preferences, Thermal
Model, an option was added for a Convective Scalar model. See the manual
for a description. This will change the answers for calculations with
shading systems. |
Changes from Previous Version of WINDOW 6 Research Version (6.0.28)
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The directional diffuse model for venetian blinds
is implemented in this version. The previous version defaulted
to 'uniform diffuse' as a method of where the diffuse radiation
that hits the slats gets transmitted.
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Fixed the order in which the venetian blind data
gets passed to WINDOW 6. This doesn't change hemispherical
values, but does change angular output to the correct values
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Documentation of the .csv file (created by
WINDOW 6 for the MatrixReader.xls spreadsheet) is added to the
technical documentation appendix
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Modifications were made to the quarter and half
basis XML files in order to fix some bands where the mid-point
was not correctly defined
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Tilted Products:
In the Window Library, when you input a value into the Tilt field, the
program does the appropriate thing for calculating the Condensation Resistance
value, according to the following rules:
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For
window tilts greater than 90 degrees, CR simulation results are used for
sills, headers, and horizontal mullions, U-factor simulation results are
used for jambs and vertical Mullions |
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For
window tilts less than 20 degrees, U-factor simulation results are used
for all cross sections |
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For
window tilts > 20 and < 90, CR is not calculated and a warning
message appears |
Calculating
Multiple Records in the Window Library List View:
The program was not calculating the results properly from the Library List
View if multiple records were selected for calculation and the Frame or Divider
THERM files had changed. This has been fixed.
Relative Heat Gain in List View of
Glazing System Library:
In the Glazing System Library List View, the Relative Heat Gain is
always in SI units.
Calc Problem Using Glass Library NFRC ID
Greater Than 32000:
If a glass layer is imported from the Optics User Database with an NFRC
ID greater than 33000, when that glass layer is used in a glazing system
calculation, the program will say that the layer has been deleted and will not
complete the calculation. The work around is to use NFRC ID values less than
32000.
VT1 Calculation With Dividers is Incorrect:
In the Window Library Detailed View, the VT1 calculated value (accessed from the
Detail button next to the VT results) is incorrect if dividers are
modeled.
EnergyPlus Output File Problem for Gas
Definition:
The file generated for the EnergyPlus program (generated from the Window
Library) contains lines in the Gas Data section that are more than the
132-character limit in the EnergyPlus routine that reads the file. The file is
too long because of extra spaces between the labels in the heading line, as well
as the data in the line following the heading. The work-around is to edit the
EnergyPlus file and delete extra spaces. Only one space between each value or
label is required.
GAS DATA : GasName Fraction MolWeight ACond BCond CCond
AVisc BVisc CVisc ASpHeat BSpHeat CSpHeat
System1 Gap1 : Air 1.0000 28.97 0.002873 7.76e-005 0
3.723e-006 4.94e-008 0 1002.74 0.012324 0
EnergyPlus Output File Problem for
Uncalculated Record:
The file generated for the EnergyPlus program (generated from the Window
Library) may contain wrong values if the file is generated on a record in the
Window Library that has not been calculated (i.e., there are "?" in
the Results section). If the EnergyPlus file contains values such as "1.#IO"
or "0.0" for values that should not be zero, close the EnergyPlus
file, and click on the Calc button for the record.
back to top
KNOWN
BUGS:
Error Message during Calc due to decimal
point of ",":
WINDOW 5.0 will display an error message while doing a "calc"
in the Glazing System Library if the computer's regional settings have the
decimal point set to ",". To fix this, go the the Microsoft Windows
Control Panel, click on Regional Settings, and go to the Numbers tab. Change the
Decimal Point choice to a "."
Importing
THERM file into WINDOW generates "unnamed file has a bad format" error
message:
If importing a file into WINDOW generates the error message:
"Unnamed
file has a bad format"
this
means that there is a problem with the THERM file, in that the file
results are spanning a buffer when being read. One work around to try is to add
comments to one of the input fields in the File/Properties menu -- it shouldn't
take more than 15 characters.
Environmental
Conditions -- Kimura convection model not working
In the Environmental Conditions Library Convection section, one of the
"Model" options is "Kimura". This model calculates the
Convection Coefficient based on "Inside Air Velocity" and "Air
Direction". The program correctly calculates the convection coefficient
based on this model, but when that Environmental Condition is then used in the
Glazing System Library, the program uses a convection coefficient based on an
air velocity of 0. A work around for this bug is to calculate the convection
coefficient using the Kimura model, and then input that coefficient into the
Fixed Convection Coefficient model, which does work properly.
Documentation
for the Kimura model can be found in the following references:
- Kimura, K., 1977. Scientific Basis for Air
Conditioning, Chapter 3, Radiative and Convective Heat Transfer, pp. 93-94,
Equations 3.41 to 3.44, Applied Science Publishers, London.
- Ito, N., K. Kimura, and J. Oka, 1972. A field
experimental study on the convective heat transfer coefficient on exterior
surface of a building, ASHRAE Transactions, Vol. 78, Part 1.
- S. Shakerin (1987). Wind-Related Heat Transfer
Coefficient for Flat-Plate Solar Collectors. Journal of Solar Energy
Engineering, May 1987; 109; pp. 108-110.
back to top
Environmental Conditions -- Fixed Combined Coefficient Bug
In the Environmental Conditions Library Convection section,
if the Model is set to "Fixed combined coefficient", the
fields Effective Sky Temperature (for U-factor Outside) and Effective Room
Temperature (for U-factor Inside), both of which are hidden for this model, may be set incorrectly. The work
around is to temporarily set the Model to "Fixed convection coefficient" so that
the fields are visible, set them to the "Inside Air Temperature" value for the
U-factor Inside tab and to the "Outside Air
Temperature" value for the U-factor Outside tab, then set the Model back to "Fixed combined coefficient".
The example below is for the U-factor Outside tab - repeat
the steps for U-factor Inside tab also.
 |
 |
| Fixed Combined
Coefficient -- Effective Sky Temperature field does not show |
Change the Model to Fixed
Convection Coefficient and the Effective Sky Temperature field shows.
Check to see that it has the same value as the Outside Air Temperature |
 |
 |
| If the Effective Sky
Temperature is not equal to the Outside Air Temperature, change it so
they are the same |
Change the Model back to
Fixed Combined Coefficient after changing the Effective Sky Temperature
to be equal to the Outside Air Temperature |
Exporting
One Glass Record to a WINDOW Database:
When you export one glass layer into a new WINDOW
database (MDB) file, open the new database from within WINDOW, and then try to
open the original WINDOW database, the program will show 'no current record'
and other error messages. The work around is to quit the program, ignore all the
messages that come up, and restart the program and open the original WINDOW5
database.
Glazing System
Non-Convergence Error Message
There are some circumstances where WINDOW 5 will
give the following error message:
Click here
for a detailed explanation of the problem and the work-around for getting the
glazing system to calculate.
Gas Library Problem with Gas Mixtures
The Gas Library that is included in the installation of
this version of WINDOW 6 has incorrectly defined gas mixtures. Record
# 7, "Air (12%) / Argon (22%) / Krypton (66%) Mix" and record # 8, "Air (5%)
/ krypton (95%) Mix" are not properly defined. It is possible to edit them
to correct them to their proper mixtures, or download
this Gas Mixtures database (a zip file
called
W6-1-06-GasMixtures.zip which contains a WINDOW database called W6-1-06-GasMixtures.mdb), and use the Import button on the List View
of the Gas Library, to import those two records from that database into your Gas Library.
Glazing System Gap Thickness
Changes Moving Between Records
If the gap thickness in a glazing system is highlighted when moving between
records using the "Next Record" and "Previous Record" buttons, the highlighted
thickness will be copied into the first gap layer in the record being moved to.
Export Database Function Gives Error
If the WINDOW 6 database (such as W6.mdb) file is not in the "local" program
directory
you may get an error message when you try to Export records from a
library to a New database:
To solve this problem put the database in the "local" program directory, the
location of which will depend on your operating system
For XP:
C:\Program Files\LBNL\WINDOW 6
or
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\LBNL\WINDOW6
For Windows 7 or Vista:
C:\Users\Public\LBNL\WINDOW6
Export Database Has Wrong Window Types
In the Release Installation of WINDOW 6.3.9 (before 12/15/2011) the window
types list (in the Window Library) in Export Databases will be an older version
of the NFRC window types. WINDOW uses the file "W6BlankDB.mdb" as the basis for
exported databases, so this file has the old window types in it. In order to fix
this problem, download this zip file (w6BlankDB.zip) which contains a fixed W6BlankDB.mdb file
with the correct window types in it. Overwrite your old version of this file
with this corrected version. Where W6BlankDB.mdb will be found will be based on
your operating system (see
Microsoft
Vista and Window 7 Operating System Issues for more details):
For XP:
C:\Program Files\LBNL\WINDOW 6
or
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\LBNL\WINDOW6
For Windows 7 or Vista:
C:\Users\Public\LBNL\WINDOW6
or
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\LBNL\<program
name>
CAUTIONS:
Importing THERM files:
THERM 5 files should now have the exterior frame boundary conditions tagged with
a U-factor tag of SHGC Exterior, which calculates the exterior wetted length of
the frame for the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient calculation in WINDOW 5. If that
tag is not present in a THERM 5 file imported into the WINDOW 5 Frame Library, a
message will appear at import time saying:
This
means that the program will use the Frame U-factor tag length for this
calculation, which is on the interior of the profile. To do the calculation
correctly, tag the THERM 5 file with the SHGC Exterior U-factor tag.
Window Library
|
CI
calculations: these have been implemented but
WINDOW5 does not detect whether the THERM files were modeled with the CI
feature turned on in THERM. Therefore, it is up to the user to model the
THERM files with both the CI and radiation enclosure features implemented.
|
|
Environmental
Conditions Check:
Currently the
program does not do a consistency check between the environmental conditions
used in the glazing system and those used in the window. |
Glass Library
|
"#"
Disappears: WINDOW 5.1 and the International Glazing Database version
12.4 have a new "checksum" feature for the spectral data. This
checksum will determine whether a set of spectral data is valid. If it is,
the "#" will be displayed, and if it is not, the "#"
will not be displayed. An older WINDOW 5.1 Glass Library that is loaded
into the current version of WINDOW 5.1 will not have the checksum values
on the spectral data files, and therefore the "#" will
disappear. To fix this, reimport the glass record from the latest IGDB or
the W5.mdb default database that came with the official program
installation.
|
|
Glass
Library List Displays 0s and 1s: Sometimes the values in the Glass
Library will display as 0s and 1s rather than the appropriate values.
Opening another library and then coming back to the Glass Library will
sometimes fix this. |
|
Importing
Records from Optics5 UserGlazing.mdb file: When creating a record in the
Optics5 user database (which is the UserGlazing.mdb file by default), make
sure to make the NFRC ID non-zero, ideally a number greater than 9999
and less then 32000 so
that existing records in the Glass Library will not be overwritten.
|
|
NFRC
ID Correction on 10/14/2002: On 10/14/2002, the Optics IGDB and the
WINDOW Glass Library database were corrected because four Guardian records
had the incorrect NFRC ID. The following table lists the correct NFRC ID
and the filename for these four glass layers.
| Correct NFRC ID |
Filename |
|
3134 |
SG52C6.GRD |
|
3135 |
SG52G6.GRD |
|
3138 |
SGSR20C6.GRD |
|
3139 |
SGSR20G6.GRD |
If your WINDOW 5 Glass Library does NOT
have these ID and filename combinations, you need to update your glass
library. The best way to update your glass library is to download a
"clean" version of the
W5.MDB database (this file has IGDB 14.2):
http://windows.lbl.gov/software/window/52/w5mdb.zip
(10 Mb Zip file)
If you unzip this file in the WINDOW program directory (c:\Program
Files\LBNL\WINDOW5), it will overwrite the existing W5.MDB. If you have
modified your W5.MDB file and do not want it overwritten, you can unzip
the corrected W5.MDB file into another directory, and import the four
Guardian glass records from the corrected database into your database.
|
|
Message
on Import: Can't find dominant wavelength for purewhite
This message will appear when importing the ONE.DAT file from the IGDB
(International Glazing Database) into the WINDOW5 Glass Library. It is
information only, and does not mean there is a problem with the record or
the database. So basically, click OK and ignore it. |
|
|
Message Updating the
Glass Library with IGDB Release: Item not found in this collection
If you have opened a WINDOW 5 database with
WINDOW 6, then open it again in WINDOW 5, and try to import records from the
IGDB in WINDOW 5, you will get the following message:
There is not anything that can be done
about this problem, so you will need to
get a clean WINDOW 5 database. (Before downloading the new database,
rename the old corrupted one, and you might be able to import records
from it into the new database)
|
Long THERM Names Crash WINDOW
THERM files imported into the Frame or Divider
Library with very long names will cause WINDOW to crash when they are used in
the Window Library. Frames names, including the path where they are located,
should be no longer than 256 characters.
Hcin Less than Zero for
CEN Boundary Conditions
If you are using CEN boundary conditions, make
sure to set the Thermal Calculation standard to EN673. This can be done from
File / Preferences, then going to the Thermal Calcs tab and setting the
Calculation standard pulldown to "EN673".
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ALGORITHM CHANGES FROM WINDOW4.1
TO WINDOW5:
WINDOW5’s calculations for U-values, SHGCs, and
visible transmittances will be a little different than those from WINDOW 4.1. These small
differences are due to the fact that WINDOW5’s algorithms have been updated to
reflect the best known practices for determining window thermal and optical properties
using computer simulations. These improvements also make WINDOW5 consistent with the
latest ISO and ASHRAE standards (currently in draft form) on this subject. These standards
are the results of many years of work by the international community and incorporate
several improvements to WINDOW 4.1’s algorithms developed a decade ago.
Specific algorithms which have changed which influence U-factor calculations:
|
|
gas
properties and gas mixtures have been updated
|
|
|
an
improved gap heat transfer correlation is used
|
|
|
an
improved interior film coefficient results in noticeable changes for single glazed windows
with changes becoming less significant the more insulating the glazing system
|
SHGC and Visible Transmittance calculations are impacted by the above changes. They can
also be significantly impacted by the use of a different (global not direct) solar
spectral irradiance function, as recently approved by ISO TC160. This means the sun is
represented by direct and diffuse solar radiation not just direct radiation. For glazings
which transmit evenly across the solar spectrum (clear glass) this will not lead to a
noticeable change. For glazings which transmit selectively in the solar spectrum (such as
green glass or some low-e coatings), solar and/or visible properties may change by up to
0.04 or so.
Finally, as discussed in the Program’s manual,
WINDOW now offers interior surface temperature maps and Condensation
Resistance (CR) calculations. These are new features and
calculation procedures for them are evolving with NFRC and other groups.
More Details
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