Experimental study on thermal response characteristics of indoor environment with modular radiant cooling system

Abstract

The radiant cooling system has a substantial energy-saving effect and can be widely applied in different kinds of low-energy buildings. This article reports the experimental study of the design strategy of the radiant cooling system in low-energy buildings from the perspective of thermal response characteristics of an indoor environment. Two types of a modular radiant cooling system, namely, the copper tube radiant cooling (CTRC) and the capillary radiant cooling (CRC) systems, were investigated. The experiments were conducted in two office rooms characterized by low energy consumption. In total, 16 cases (eight for CTRC and eight for CRC) were analyzed, covering supply water temperature with a range of 12–19 ◦C. The experimental results show that the supply water temperature has a more substantial effect on the temperature distribution of the envelope for CTRC, than that of CRC. The indoor air temperature stratification is acceptable in the active area of the occupant with a modular radiant cooling system. Moreover, the thermal response of the envelope is highly sensitive to the lower supply water temperature (below 16 ◦C) using CTRC and to the higher supply water temperature (above 15 ◦C) using CRC. The low supply water temperature (below 15 ◦C) can improve the thermal stability speed of indoor air to a greater degree using CTRC, than that of CRC. The supply water temperature for CTRC with 15–16 ◦C, and 18–19 ◦C for CRC in low-energy buildings can exert an optimal cooling benefit.