Principle and application of air-layer integrated radiant cooling unit under hot and humid climates

Nan Zhang; Hang Wan; Yuying Liang; Huijun Wu; Xinhua Xu; Sek Ming Suen; Gongsheng Huang

doi:10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101268

Principle and application of air-layer integrated radiant cooling unit under hot and humid climates

Nan Zhang, Hang Wan, Yuying Liang, Huijun Wu^*, Xinhua Xu^*, Sek Ming Suen, Gongsheng Huang^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

62 Downloads (CityUHK Scholars)

Abstract

Radiant cooling systems offer several advantages over conventional air-cooling systems, such as better thermal comfort, quieter operation, and less air ductwork. However, their application is limited owing to high condensation risk, particularly in hot and humid climates. To reduce this risk and enhance the cooling capacity, an air-layer-integrated radiant cooling unit (AIRCU) is developed. The unit uses an infrared transparent membrane to seal a dry-air layer between the membrane and the radiant cooling surface, separating the radiant cooling surface from the air-contact surface. Here, we report a comprehensive study on the AIRCU, including (1) suitable membrane materials; (2) a method for estimating the membrane temperature; (3) the feasible range of the radiant cooling surface temperature; and (4) the cooling capacity and thermal comfort under different humidity environments. The experimental and numerical analysis results demonstrate that AIRCU is a potential alternative cooling system for hot and humid climates. © 2023 The Author(s)

Original language	English
Article number	101268
Journal	Cell Reports Physical Science
Volume	4
Issue number	2
Online published	31 Jan 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101268
Publication status	Published - 15 Feb 2023

Funding

The research work presented in this paper was supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (project no. 11212919) and a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (project no. 52078144).

Research Keywords

condensation
cooling power
radiant cooling
thermal comfort
thermal environment

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This full text is made available under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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title = "Principle and application of air-layer integrated radiant cooling unit under hot and humid climates",

abstract = "Radiant cooling systems offer several advantages over conventional air-cooling systems, such as better thermal comfort, quieter operation, and less air ductwork. However, their application is limited owing to high condensation risk, particularly in hot and humid climates. To reduce this risk and enhance the cooling capacity, an air-layer-integrated radiant cooling unit (AIRCU) is developed. The unit uses an infrared transparent membrane to seal a dry-air layer between the membrane and the radiant cooling surface, separating the radiant cooling surface from the air-contact surface. Here, we report a comprehensive study on the AIRCU, including (1) suitable membrane materials; (2) a method for estimating the membrane temperature; (3) the feasible range of the radiant cooling surface temperature; and (4) the cooling capacity and thermal comfort under different humidity environments. The experimental and numerical analysis results demonstrate that AIRCU is a potential alternative cooling system for hot and humid climates. {\textcopyright} 2023 The Author(s)",

keywords = "condensation, cooling power, radiant cooling, thermal comfort, thermal environment",

author = "Nan Zhang and Hang Wan and Yuying Liang and Huijun Wu and Xinhua Xu and Suen, {Sek Ming} and Gongsheng Huang",

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T1 - Principle and application of air-layer integrated radiant cooling unit under hot and humid climates

AU - Zhang, Nan

AU - Wan, Hang

AU - Liang, Yuying

AU - Wu, Huijun

AU - Xu, Xinhua

AU - Suen, Sek Ming

AU - Huang, Gongsheng

PY - 2023/2/15

Y1 - 2023/2/15

N2 - Radiant cooling systems offer several advantages over conventional air-cooling systems, such as better thermal comfort, quieter operation, and less air ductwork. However, their application is limited owing to high condensation risk, particularly in hot and humid climates. To reduce this risk and enhance the cooling capacity, an air-layer-integrated radiant cooling unit (AIRCU) is developed. The unit uses an infrared transparent membrane to seal a dry-air layer between the membrane and the radiant cooling surface, separating the radiant cooling surface from the air-contact surface. Here, we report a comprehensive study on the AIRCU, including (1) suitable membrane materials; (2) a method for estimating the membrane temperature; (3) the feasible range of the radiant cooling surface temperature; and (4) the cooling capacity and thermal comfort under different humidity environments. The experimental and numerical analysis results demonstrate that AIRCU is a potential alternative cooling system for hot and humid climates. © 2023 The Author(s)

AB - Radiant cooling systems offer several advantages over conventional air-cooling systems, such as better thermal comfort, quieter operation, and less air ductwork. However, their application is limited owing to high condensation risk, particularly in hot and humid climates. To reduce this risk and enhance the cooling capacity, an air-layer-integrated radiant cooling unit (AIRCU) is developed. The unit uses an infrared transparent membrane to seal a dry-air layer between the membrane and the radiant cooling surface, separating the radiant cooling surface from the air-contact surface. Here, we report a comprehensive study on the AIRCU, including (1) suitable membrane materials; (2) a method for estimating the membrane temperature; (3) the feasible range of the radiant cooling surface temperature; and (4) the cooling capacity and thermal comfort under different humidity environments. The experimental and numerical analysis results demonstrate that AIRCU is a potential alternative cooling system for hot and humid climates. © 2023 The Author(s)

KW - condensation

KW - cooling power

KW - radiant cooling

KW - thermal comfort

KW - thermal environment

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UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/pubmetrics.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85147915502&origin=recordpage

U2 - 10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101268

DO - 10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101268

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

SN - 2666-3864

VL - 4

JO - Cell Reports Physical Science

JF - Cell Reports Physical Science

IS - 2

M1 - 101268

ER -

Principle and application of air-layer integrated radiant cooling unit under hot and humid climates

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GRF: Develop and Investigate Decoupled Radiant Cooling Mechanism

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Principle and application of air-layer integrated radiant cooling unit under hot and humid climates

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Research Keywords

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GRF: Develop and Investigate Decoupled Radiant Cooling Mechanism

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