Technology

EQUA's simulation technology is primarily aimed at networked flow systems. The flowing media can be anything from TCP/IP packets or traffic to paper pulp or refrigerants.

Why using block diagram tools?

Most industrial simulation is done without using a general-purpose simulation tool, and relies rather on numerical subroutine libraries and traditional programming languages. These special-purpose tools exploit the particular characteristics of their application domain to attain acceptable performance in real-scale problems. If a general purpose tool is used at all, those that are available - based on block-diagram model descriptions - are limited to toy-size problems in comparison to the special-purpose tools. A real analog electronics problem may, for example, require handling of ten thousand components, such as transistors, resistors and capacitors. If it is modeled in a mainstream block-diagram simulator one may, with considerable effort, be able to manage perhaps a few dozen components. This is a significant weakness.

Why then do engineers spend countless hours trying to squeeze physical system models into block diagram tools? The answer is - they need the generality. The models offered in domain specific tools are insufficient. They need to model the electronics and the hydraulics, perhaps even some controllers and thermodynamics as well. It simply does not all fit into the dedicated analog electronics simulator.

General method

"What we offers is a new general method" - One that solves a special-purpose problem just as quickly and reliably as the dedicated tools, sometimes even faster, so that the electronics, the hydraulics, the controllers and the thermodynamics all can be combined in real-scale problems with thousands of variables. The trick is to find the optimal way of describing complex dynamical systems. Forget about FORTRAN or C subroutines, block diagrams and spreadsheets. All are difficult to read and provide far too few opportunities for model re-use. Instead, we focus directly on the most natural way of communication for all engineers: the mathematical equation, expression equals expression.

EQUA = Equations

"We focus on the mathematical equation, expression equals expression" - Using our own special combination of smart computer algebra and numerical methods, symbolic equation-based models can be solved with comparable performance to the special-purpose simulators. Modelers love it. They can concentrate on the problem formulation - to write down the equations - and let IDA worry about the solution. No more two-timing as numerical analyst.

Robust solutions

"The methods are robust enough to build end-user applications for people with little or no simulation experience" - We offer development environments for end-user simulation applications, so that easy-to-use special-purpose app's can be built in a fraction of the time it would take with standard development tools. As an additional benefit, since it is all based on a general approach, the advanced user can model any accompanying system he or she wishes.

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History

EQUA's simulation technology was invented in the mid eighties at the Swedish Institute of Applied Mathematics in a project for Statoil. The models developed proved to be both efficient and practical for large-scale industrial simulation.

In the late eighties, a multi-disciplinary team was formed to develop a full simulation environment. Today, the success is a fact!

IDA Simulation Environment

Whilst Magnus Lindgren and Lars Eriksson contributed with solid computer science and numerical competence, Axel Bring and Per Sahlin brought with them application perspective and general modeling experience. And so it was that in late 1989 the first prototype of IDA Simulation Environment (IDA SE) was introduced in an Apollo workstation environment.

First end-user application

In the early nineties, Olympic medallist mathematicians Pavel Grozman and Alexander Shapovalov joined the team and several application projects were performed. Amongst them, the first real end-user application (clean room design for ABB Airtech in 1993).

EQUA Simulation founded

In 1995, the team founded EQUA Simulation. The company was backed by a significant contract to develop a new generation building simulator based on the IDA technology.

IDA Indoor Climate and Energy

In 1998, the first software product, IDA Indoor Climate and Energy, was released, and soon thereafter IDA Simulation Environment was made commercially available.

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Our mission

Buildings use close to half of the world's energy and the potential for improvement is significant. Until recently, energy efficiency has been a minor factor in a building's commercial value and, and consequently, very few buildings are optimized in this respect.

Maximum comfort - minimum energy

In most situations around the world, saving energy in buildings is not just a simple matter of adding insulation. Roughly half of the energy used for buildings is used for cooling and, for this, increased insulation is rarely the best solution. Most of the unwanted heat enters as solar radiation, via electric lighting and office equipment. Some rooms in the same building will need cooling while simultaneously others need heat. The creation of maximum indoor comfort at minimum energy expense is a tricky affair that requires advanced engineering skills, methods and technologies.

Most advanced BPS

Software for dynamical building performance simulation (BPS) is a key enabler in the creation of a more efficient building stock. Our goal is to provide our users with the most advanced and flexible, yet easy-to-use, BPS tools on the market, and to combine these tools with sufficient training, technical support and services - and hopefully - this will help to minimize the overall building energy usage and to optimize the indoor climate.

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Simulation software

Since the early 90's, EQUA has developed state-of-the-art simulation software for buildings, tunnels and energy systems. EQUA has become a world leading supplier and the tools have been used in a variety of large projects all around the world.

What is needed for a really good simulation tool?

The below criteria are well met by EQUA's simulation tools.
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Design issues

To deal with advanced design issues, a building performance simulation software should be able to handle:

Overheating studies of highly insulated, glazed and naturally ventilated buildings
Realistic HVAC and plants, including CHP, solar, thermal storage, phase change and sorption processes
Complex control strategies
Advanced active façades

Reliable results

For reliable results, a building performance simulation software should meet the following criteria:

Correct account of thermal mass effects
Detailed description of the building envelope, systems and controls
Multi-zone models
Dynamic time-steps
Results can be compared with measured data

Basic requirements

Any building performance simulation software should meet the following criteria:

Calculate correctly and be possible to validate
Enable efficient information input and verification
Be robust
Be adaptable to non-standard problem types
Be transparent (possible to view and understand the mathematical models)
Provide easy result analysis

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Team Sweden

We are the Swedish team! We have two offices, one in Stockholm (headquarter) and one in Gothenburg, and here all major development is done. We also handle worldwide sales and consulting.

Feel free to contact or visit us.