The use of proper orthogonal decomposition for the simulation of highly nonlinear hygrothermal performance

In this paper, the use of proper orthogonal decomposition for simulating nonlinear heat, air and moisture transfer is investigated via two applications: HAMSTAD benchmarks 2 and 3. Moreover, the potential of the reduced models constructed by proper orthogonal decomposition for simulating new problems with longer simulation periods is assessed. To illustrate the feasibilities of proper orthogonal decomposition method in the field of building physics, the accuracies of the reduced models are compared with the standard finite element method. The outcomes show that with a sufficient number of construction modes and a relatively large amount of snapshots, proper orthogonal decomposition method can deliver accurate results. In addition, guidelines on selecting an appropriate amount of simulation snapshot and construction modes are provided.