Predicting moisture condensation risk on the radiant cooling floor of an office using integration of a genetic algorithm-back-propagation neural network with sensitivity analysis

Pre-dehumidification time(τ_(pre))and pre-dehumidification energy consumption(E_(pre))play important roles in preventing the condensation of moisture on the floors of rooms that use a radiant floor cooling(RFC)system.However,there are few theoretical or experimental studies that focus on these two important quantities.In this study,an artificial neural network(ANN)was used to predict condensation risk for the integration of RFC systems with mixed ventilation(MV),stratum ventilation(SV),and displacement ventilation(DV)systems.A genetic algorithm-back-propagation(GA-BP)neural network model was established to predict τ_(pre) and E_(pre).Both training data and validation data were obtained from tests in a computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulation.The results show that the established GA-BP model can predict τ_(pre) and E_(pre) well.The coefficient of determination(R^(2))of τ_(pre) and of E_(pre) were,respectively,0.973 and 0.956.For an RFC system integrated with an MV,SV,or DV system,the lowest values of τ_(pre) and E_(pre) were with the DV system,23.1 s and 0.237 kWh,respectively,for a 67.5 m^(3) room.Therefore,the best pre-dehumidification effect was with integration of the DV and RFC systems.This study showed that an ANN-based method can be used for predictive control for condensation prevention in RFC systems.It also provides a novel and effective method by which to assess the pre-dehumidification control of radiant floor surfaces.

Thermal Comfort Analysis of Personalized Conditioning System and Performance Assessment with Different Radiant Cooling Systems

The radiant systems consume less energy and provide better thermal comfort as compared to the conventional system,but the main drawback of radiant technology is inability to cater the latent load and condensation.This problem has engaged researchers to push their emphasis on Personalized Conditioning System(PCS).It forms a micro-climate region near the occupant.This study is aimed at PCS combined with a radiant conditioning system,which evaluates the performance of the PCS and compares it with different radiant cooling systems.A radiant cubicle was used to investigate the performance of the PCS for both heating&cooling modes.For heating mode,the Standard Effective Temperature(SET)was calculated with the help of thermal comfort surveys which were in a range of 23.4℃ to 27.3℃.For cooling mode,four different cases compared the performance of the system which are:Conventional Air Conditioning System(CACS),Radiant Cooled Ceiling System(RCCS),Personalized Radiant Conditioning System(PRCS),and both PRCS-RCCS coupled.It was observed that PRCS alone reaches the thermal comfort criteria with low energy consumption.The energy-saving of RCCS-PRCS was achieved 38%when compared with CACS.It can be concluded that PRCS is a new step in the field of thermal comfort.

Numerical Prediction of Mean Radiant Temperature in Radiant Cooling Indoor Environments

Mean radiant temperature(MRT)is an indispensable physical parameter of indoor thermal environments.Especially in indoor environments controlled by radiant systems,MRT plays an important role in thermal comfort.In order to determine MRT of indoor environments controlled by radiant cooling systems quickly and inexpensively,a numerical program is developed in this study.Based on the finite element method(FEM),view factors and radiant temperature fields are numerically calculated.The singular solution problem generated by FEM is corrected using the Monte Carlo method.The numerical program is validated against the results of an experiment performed in a radiant cooling laboratory and the reported data from previous studies.Then radiant temperature fields of different shaped surfaces in a radiant cooling indoor environment are predicted,and thermal comfort level is preliminarily evaluated.

Indoor thermal comfort research on the hybrid system of radiant cooling and dedicated outdoor air system

The radiant cooling system generally operates with the dedicated outdoor air system （DOAS）. Air supply modes and the corresponding setting parameters of the hybrid system may substantially influence the indoor thermal comfort. With target indexes of air diffusion performance index （ADPI） and predicted mean vote （PMV）, the Taguchi method was used to choose the optimal air supply mode and to analyze the significance of different factors on the thermal comfort. The results are expected for conducting the future design and regulation of the hybrid system. Computation fluid dynamics （CFD） simulation as well as verified experiments was performed during the research. Based on the ADPI studies, it is found that the air supply mode of ceiling delivery with ceiling exhaust is an optimized option to apply in DOAS of the hybrid system. Variance analysis results show that influence fact of air supply temperature is the most dominant one to impact the indoor thermal comfort index of PMV.

Cooling load characteristics of indoor spaces conditioned by decoupled radiant cooling unit with low radiant temperature

Decoupled radiant cooling units(DRCUs)are capable of increasing the cooling capacity without increasing condensation risks even using a much lower cooling temperature than conventional radiant cooling units(CRCUs).However,it is unclear whether DRCUs using low radiant cooling temperature will increase the cooling load of the conditioned indoor spaces.In this study,the cooling load characteristics of a thermal chamber conditioned by a DRCU was investigated through developing a steady-state analysis model suitable for both DRCUs and CRCUs.The total/radiative heat flux,as well as the heat exchange with a thermal manikin and walls were analysed under different surface temperatures of DRCUs.The effect of the emissivity of the thermal chamber’external wall on the cooling load was also investigated.Results indicated that the cooling load under the DRCU was slightly smaller than that under the CRCU when the same operative environment was created.Decreasing the infrared emissivity of the exterior wall’s inner surface could lead to a significant decrease in the cooling load for both the DRCU and CRCU.By decreasing the wall emissivity from 0.9 to 0.1,the total cooling load of the DRCU can be decreased by 8.4%and the heat gain of the exterior wall decreased by 21.6%.This study serves as a reference for developing the analysis model and understanding the load characteristics when DRCUs are used to create the thermal environment for indoor spaces.

Potential application of radiant floor cooling systems for residential buildings in different climate zones

A radiant floor cooling system(RFCS)is a high-comfort and low energy consumption system suitable for residential buildings.Radiant floor systems usually work with fresh air,and their operating performance is affected by climatic conditions.Indoor and outdoor environmental disturbances and the system’s control strategy affect the indoor thermal comfort and energy efficiency of the system.Firstly,a multi-story residential building model was established in this study.Transient system simulation program was used to study the operation dynamics of three control strategies of the RFCS based on the calibrated model.Then,the performance of the control strategies in five climate zones in China were compared using multi-criteria decision-making in combination.The results show that control strategy has a negligible effect on condensation risk,but the thermal comfort and economic performance differ for different control strategies.The adaptability of different control strategies varies in different climate zones based on the consideration of multiple factors.The performance of the direct-ground cooling source system is better in Hot summer and warm winter zone.The variable air volume control strategy scores higher in Serve cold and Temperate zones,and the hours exceeding thermal comfort account for less than 3%of the total simulation period.Therefore,it is suggested to choose the RFCS control strategy for residential buildings according to the climate zone characteristics,to increase the energy savings.Our results provide a reliable reference for implementing RFCSs in residential buildings.

Development and validation of a transient simulation model of a full-scale PCM embedded radiant chilled ceiling

The recent significant rise in space cooling energy demand due to the massive use of air-conditioning systems has adversely changed buildings’energy use patterns globally.The updated energy technology perspectives highlight the need for innovative cooling systems to address this growing cooling demand.Phase change material embedded radiant chilled ceiling(PCM-RCC)has lately acquired popularity as they offer more efficient space cooling together with further demand-side flexibility.Recent advancements in PCM-RCC applications have increased the necessity for reliable simulation models to assist professionals in identifying improved designs and operating settings.In this study,a transient simulation model of PCM-RCC has been developed and validated using measured data in a full-scale test cabin equipped with newly developed PCM ceiling panels.This model,developed in the TRNSYS simulation studio,includes Type 399 that uses the Crank-Nicolson algorithm coupled with the enthalpy function to solve transient heat transfer in PCM ceiling panels.The developed model is validated in both free-running and active operation modes,and its quality is then evaluated using several validation metrics.The results obtained in multiple operating scenarios confirm that the model simulates the transient behaviour of the PCM-RCC system with an accuracy within±10%.Aided by this validated model,which offers the user detailed flexibilities in the system design and its associated operating schemas,PCM-RCC’s potentials regarding peak load shifting,energy savings,and enhanced thermal comfort can be investigated more reliably.

Numerical study on indoor environment and thermal comfort in train station waiting hall with two different air-conditioning modes

With the increasing size of the waiting hall,the large-area use of transparent envelope materials makes the interior surface temperature of the envelope too high,which puts forward higher requirements for the control of environment and thermal comfort indoors.In this paper,the characteristics of indoor temperature distribution,relative humidity distribution and thermal comfort under the all air system(AAs)and the radiant floor cooling and wall cooling combined with air supply system(RC/ASs)were investigated in the large spaces.The computational fluid dynamics(CFD)method was used,and the performance of the CFD model was validated by comparing the measured results with CFD simulation results in the AAs.The numerical results clearly showed that the temperature and relative humidity indoors could satisfy the design requirement both in the AAs and RC/ASs.The indoor air distribution in most areas under the RC/ASs was more uniform based on the indoor heat and humidity requirements under the cooling load of measured day.In the AAs,the total cooling capacity of air conditioning unit was the highest when indoor thermal comfort was the best,that meant that to achieve the best working condition,the air-conditioning system need high energy consumption.Meanwhile,the RC/ASs addressed the problem that the temperature around the seated passengers in the waiting area was relatively high in the AAs.This paper will provide reference for the air conditioning system design in the similar large spaces in the future.