Virtual in-situ calibration for digital twin-synchronized building operations

• Virtual in-situ calibration-assisted digital twins (VIC-DT) are established in buildings. • The capability and effectiveness of VIC-DT are discussed in building operations. • VIC-DT enables simultaneous in-situ calibration of physical sensors and virtual models. • A field application shows that VIC-DT plays a crucial role in achieving DT synchronization . Virtual models serve as detailed digital replicas that reflect the physical building’s state, behavior, and operational processes in digital building twins. It is essential to ensure the reliable exchange of data and information between the physical entity and the virtual model to continuously realize a complete digital twin in building operations. This study proposes the novel concept of VIC-assisted Digital Twins (VIC-DT), which combines virtual in-situ calibration (VIC) with digital twin models. A field application study is conducted to investigate conventional calibration methods in building operations, compare three calibration performances, and provide recommendations for effective calibration approaches in real operational buildings. Case studies show that the VIC-DT model could achieve an MAE of approximately 0.35 °C during the winter season in the operational heating system. In addition, the VIC-DT model has improved the performance of digital twin applications in building operations with uncertainties in both physical sensors and virtual models. These results demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of VIC-DT models in digital twin-enabled building operations. The proposed VIC-DT provides a reliable and beneficial digital twin-sensing environment, contributing to the continuous DT synchronization of physical building systems and virtual models.