Hi Aryan,
Attached is an example of how to use these variables to run a simulation for the physical trough model (TroughPhysical) for a single time step.
The example is based on the implementation in the Hybrid Optimization and Performance Platform (HOPP) model.
Here is an outline of the overall steps to run a simulation for a single time step (in this case for Hour 1 and Hour 2):
1. Run a simulation for Hour 1.
2. Save values of variables for the plant state.
3. Set variables for the plant state in Hour 2.
4. Run simulation for Hour 2.
Here are links to sections of the HOPP code that get and set the plant state:
Function that gets plant state:
github.com/NREL/HOPP/blob/0b3aee3737198575e905c45f6ef56756173d2d0d/hopp/simulation/technologies/csp/trough_plant.py#L114
Function that sets plant state:
github.com/NREL/HOPP/blob/0b3aee3737198575e905c45f6ef56756173d2d0d/hopp/simulation/technologies/csp/csp_plant.py#L430
The attached 'physical-trough-time-step.py' script shows the most basic steps.
The function of the variables you asked about:
sim_type: 1 = run a time series simulation, 2 = run only design-point calculations. SAM's user interface uses sim_type = 2 to calculate values design values.
time_start, time_stop: Start and stop time in seconds for partial time series simulation. The plant state must be initialized for this to work.
time_steps_per_hour: Number of time steps per hour. Set to 1 for hourly simulations.
vacuum_arrays: For time series simulations over less than one year, set vacuum_arrays to resize arrays from 8760 hours to simulation length.
Best regards,
Paul.
