Best practices and recent advances in hydronic radiant cooling systems – Part II: Simulation, control, and integration

Abstract There is an ever-increasing interest in radiant cooling systems (RCSs) due to their energy-saving potential and improved indoor thermal environment in modern buildings. In this part of the review, an overview of established practices and recent efforts in modeling, simulation, operation, control, and integration of RCSs is provided. Models and simulation tools are essential for reliable planning and design of RCSs due to the thermal inertia of activated slabs/panels. However, an increasing number of steady-state computational models of the indoor environment was highlighted, which does not match the highly dynamic nature of radiant systems, especially for thermally activated building systems (TABS). Integrated models of indoor environment and cooling systems, with high accuracy and moderate computational costs, are still lacking. Advanced control strategies, such as model predictive control, were found to reduce energy consumption by up to 44% while maintaining the space at favorable conditions. A major share of saved energy is due to intermittent operation of circulation pumps. Proposed strategies are often compared to conventional rule-based controllers. However, more studies are required to benchmark those predictive and adaptive controls. An emerging research direction on the integration of renewable energy resources was highlighted, yet coupling dynamics need to be further addressed in the literature, especially for solar power-driven systems. To boost this research direction, it is recommended to take advantage of previous studies on the integration of renewable energy systems with conventional cooling systems.

[1]  Baisong Ning,et al.  Cooling load calculation for integrated operation of radiant and fresh air systems , 2017 .

[2]  Kaamran Raahemifar,et al.  Artificial neural network (ANN) based model predictive control (MPC) and optimization of HVAC systems: A state of the art review and case study of a residential HVAC system , 2017 .

[3]  José Manuel Cejudo López,et al.  A new terminal unit combining a radiant floor with an underfloor air system: Experimentation and numerical model , 2016 .

[4]  F. Kalmár,et al.  Investigation of energy and exergy performances of radiant cooling systems in buildings – A design approach , 2019, Energy.

[5]  Andrej Kapjor,et al.  Acoustic cooling ceilings with introduction of stabilized air supply , 2019, Transportation Research Procedia.

[6]  Mohannad Bayoumi.  Method to Integrate Radiant Cooling with Hybrid Ventilation to Improve Energy Efficiency and Avoid Condensation in Hot, Humid Environments , 2018 .

[7]  Leslie K. Norford,et al.  Transfer learning with deep neural networks for model predictive control of HVAC and natural ventilation in smart buildings , 2020, Journal of Cleaner Production.

[8]  Saqib Javed,et al.  Some aspects of controlling radiant and convective cooling systems , 2019, E3S Web of Conferences.

[9]  Fu Xiao,et al.  Development of dynamic simplified thermal models of active pipe-embedded building envelopes using genetic algorithm , 2014 .

[10]  Yuehong Lu,et al.  A simplified analytical model to evaluate the impact of radiant heat on building cooling load , 2015 .

[11]  Alvaro de Gracia,et al.  Experimental evaluation of a heating radiant wall coupled to a ground source heat pump , 2017 .

[12]  Lin Su,et al.  Experimental study on the characteristics of non-steady state radiation heat transfer in the room with concrete ceiling radiant cooling panels , 2016 .

[13]  Jianlei Niu,et al.  Operation dynamics of building with radiant cooling system based on Beijing weather , 2017 .

[14]  Zhongbing Liu,et al.  A computational model of an improved cooling radiant ceiling panel system for optimization and design , 2019, Building and Environment.

[15]  A. Haghighi,et al.  Anticipating an efficient relative humidity in a room under direct solar radiation and equipped by radiant cooling panel system , 2019, International Journal of Refrigeration.

[16]  Nilufer Egrican,et al.  Solar assisted conditioning of residences with floor heating and ceiling cooling: review and simulation results , 2015 .

[17]  Helmut Weinläder,et al.  Generation of a simulation model for chilled PCM ceilings in TRNSYS and validation with real scale building data , 2019, Journal of Building Engineering.

[18]  Wei Liao,et al.  Experimental investigation on the cooling performance of a novel grooved radiant panel filled with heat transfer liquid , 2019, Sustainable Cities and Society.

[19]  Jyotirmay Mathur,et al.  Performance evaluation of radiant cooling system integrated with air system under different operational strategies , 2015 .

[20]  Jyotirmay Mathur,et al.  Calibrated simulation analysis for integration of evaporative cooling and radiant cooling system for different Indian climatic zones , 2018, Journal of Building Engineering.

[21]  Yi Jiang,et al.  Study on the pulsed flow control on radiant cooling and heating systems in part load , 2017 .

[22]  Vijay R. Raghavan,et al.  Evaluation of energy conservation potential and complete cost-benefit analysis of the slab-integrated radiant cooling system: A Malaysian case study , 2017 .

[23]  Ning Cai,et al.  Experimental investigation on model predictive control of radiant floor cooling combined with underfloor ventilation system , 2019, Energy.

[24]  Shunzhi Qian,et al.  Evaluation of the environmental performance of the chilled ceiling system using life cycle assessment (LCA): A case study in Singapore , 2016 .

[25]  Ruzhu Wang,et al.  Experimental Investigation on a Solar-powered Absorption Radiant Cooling System , 2015 .

[26]  Gerald Schweiger,et al.  Validation of dynamic building energy simulation tools based on a real test-box with thermally activated building systems (TABS) , 2018, Energy and Buildings.

[27]  Woong June Chung,et al.  Control of Thermally Activated Building System Considering Zone Load Characteristics , 2017 .

[28]  Luisa F. Cabeza,et al.  Simulation and control of thermally activated building systems (TABS) , 2016 .

[29]  Debjyoti Banerjee,et al.  A soft computing approach for estimating the specific heat capacity of molten salt-based nanofluids , 2019, Journal of Molecular Liquids.

[30]  Ondřej Šikula,et al.  Radiant wall cooling with pipes arranged in insulation panels attached to facades of existing buildings , 2019, E3S Web of Conferences.

[31]  Moon Keun Kim,et al.  Energy analysis of a hybrid radiant cooling system under hot and humid climates: A case study at Shanghai in China , 2018, Building and Environment.

[32]  Xiufeng Pang,et al.  Testing and demonstration of model predictive control applied to a radiant slab cooling system in a building test facility , 2018, Energy and Buildings.

[33]  Pingfang Hu,et al.  Thermal simulation of a DOAS+CRCP air conditioning system coupled with a floor containing a phase change material (PCM) , 2018, IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering.

[34]  Qunli Zhang,et al.  A Fast Prediction Model for Heat Transfer of Hot-Wall Heat Exchanger Based on Analytical Solution , 2018 .

[35]  Moon Keun Kim,et al.  Performance Evaluation of Hybrid Radiant Cooling System Integrated with Decentralized Ventilation System in Hot and Humid Climates , 2017 .

[36]  Nasruddin,et al.  Optimization of HVAC system energy consumption in a building using artificial neural network and multi-objective genetic algorithm , 2019, Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments.

[37]  Nianping Li,et al.  Heat transfer and cooling characteristics of concrete ceiling radiant cooling panel , 2015 .

[38]  Athanasios Tzempelikos,et al.  Review of modelling approaches for passive ceiling cooling systems , 2015 .

[39]  Dongliang Zhang,et al.  Experimental study on control performance comparison between model predictive control and proportion-integral-derivative control for radiant ceiling cooling integrated with underfloor ventilation system , 2018, Applied Thermal Engineering.

[40]  Hansjürg Leibundgut,et al.  A review of high temperature cooling systems in tropical buildings , 2016 .

[41]  Jae-Weon Jeong,et al.  Energy-saving potential of dedicated outdoor-air system assisted by vacuum-based membrane dehumidifier , 2019, E3S Web of Conferences.

[42]  Leen Lauriks,et al.  Local effects on thermal comfort: Experimental investigation of small-area radiant cooling and low-speed draft caused by improperly retrofitted construction joints , 2019, Building and Environment.

[43]  Myoung-Souk Yeo,et al.  Feasibility of a Radiant Floor Cooling System for Residential Buildings with Massive Concrete Slab in a Hot and Humid Climate , 2018, International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials.

[44]  Rasmus Lund Jensen,et al.  Experimental study of diffuse ceiling ventilation coupled with a thermally activated building construction in an office room , 2015 .

[45]  Luisa F. Cabeza,et al.  Development and experimental validation of a transient 2D numeric model for radiant walls , 2018 .

[46]  Yi Jiang,et al.  Theoretical and experimental study of departure duration of condensate droplets from radiant cooling ceiling surfaces , 2017 .

[47]  Lu Xing,et al.  Collaborative optimization of ground source heat pump-radiant ceiling air conditioning system based on response surface method and NSGA-II , 2020 .

[48]  Martin Schmelas,et al.  Adaptive predictive control of thermo-active building systems (TABS) based on a multiple regression algorithm: First practical test , 2016 .

[49]  Panagiota Karava,et al.  A model predictive control strategy to optimize the performance of radiant floor heating and cooling systems in office buildings , 2019, Applied Energy.

[50]  Kamel Ghali,et al.  Effectiveness of intermittent personalized ventilation assisting a chilled ceiling for enhanced thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality , 2018, Building and Environment.

[51]  Alvaro de Gracia,et al.  Experimental evaluation of a cooling radiant wall coupled to a ground heat exchanger , 2016 .

[52]  Hanqing Wang,et al.  Numerical analysis of temperature non-uniformity and cooling capacity for capillary ceiling radiant cooling panel , 2016 .

[53]  Fred Bauman,et al.  New method for the design of radiant floor cooling systems with solar radiation , 2016 .

[54]  Xu Zhang,et al.  An experiment-oriented simulation method for cooling capacity determination of cooling ceiling radiant panel system , 2016 .

[55]  A. K. de Wit,et al.  Hydronic circuit topologies for thermally activated building systems – design questions and case study , 2012 .

[56]  Nuno M. Mateus,et al.  Simplified modeling of displacement ventilation systems with chilled ceilings , 2015 .

[57]  Dušan Petráš,et al.  Performance of the Building with Three Different Radiant Systems , 2019, IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering.

[58]  Viktor Dorer,et al.  Interaction of an air system with concrete core conditioning , 1999 .

[59]  Nianping Li,et al.  Methodology research on solving non-steady state radiation heat transfer in the room with Ceiling Radiant Cooling Panels , 2015 .

[60]  K. A. Antonopoulos,et al.  Numerical simulation of a solar cooling system with and without phase change materials in radiant walls of a building , 2019, Energy Conversion and Management.

[61]  Pingfang Hu,et al.  Comparative study on heat transfer performance between three main types capillary ceiling radiant cooling panel , 2018, IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering.

[62]  Jianghai Hu,et al.  A distributed approach to model-predictive control of radiant comfort delivery systems in office spaces with localized thermal environments , 2018, Energy and Buildings.

[63]  Q. X. Kong,et al.  Research on Design and Operation Methods of Radiant Panel with Fresh Air System , 2019, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science.

[64]  Olcay Kincay,et al.  Experimental and numerical investigation of the correlation between radiative and convective heat-transfer coefficients at the cooled wall of a real-sized room , 2015 .

[65]  Kwang Woo Kim,et al.  Enhancement of cooling capacity through open-type installation of cooling radiant ceiling panel systems , 2019, Building and Environment.

[66]  Yi Jiang,et al.  Study on the reduction of condensation risks on the radiant cooling ceiling with superhydrophobic treatment , 2016 .

[67]  Svend Svendsen,et al.  Dynamic behavior of radiant cooling system based on capillary tubes in walls made of high performance concrete , 2015 .

[68]  Kwang Woo Kim,et al.  A 50 year review of basic and applied research in radiant heating and cooling systems for the built environment , 2015 .

[69]  Philip Haves,et al.  Experimentally-determined characteristics of radiant systems for office buildings , 2018, Applied Energy.

[70]  Liugen Lv,et al.  A synchronizing thermal model based on three kinds of radiant models to compute interior air temperature and interior wall temperature , 2018 .

[71]  Myoung Souk Yeo,et al.  Design of radiant floor heating panel in view of floor surface temperatures , 2015 .

[72]  Hongli Lv,et al.  Modeling Based on Semi-tensor Product for Radiant Floor Cooling Systems , 2017 .

[73]  Peter R. Armstrong,et al.  Advanced cooling technology with thermally activated building surfaces and model predictive control , 2015 .

[74]  Bjarne W. Olesen,et al.  Ten questions about radiant heating and cooling systems , 2017 .

[75]  Svend Svendsen,et al.  Full scale measurements and CFD investigations of a wall radiant cooling system integrated in thin concrete walls , 2017 .

[76]  Ryozo Ooka,et al.  Field evaluation of performance of radiant heating/cooling ceiling panel system , 2013 .

[77]  Bjarne W. Olesen,et al.  Load Calculations of Radiant Cooling Systems for Sizing the Plant , 2015 .

[78]  Farrokh Janabi-Sharifi,et al.  Theory and applications of HVAC control systems – A review of model predictive control (MPC) , 2014 .

[79]  Zhu Qiqi,et al.  Research on control methods of roof radiant cooling system , 2017 .

[80]  Martin Belusko,et al.  Control concepts of a radiant wall working as thermal energy storage for peak load shifting of a heat pump coupled to a PV array , 2018 .

[81]  Jovan Pantelic,et al.  Revisiting radiant cooling: condensation-free heat rejection using infrared-transparent enclosures of chilled panels , 2019, Architectural Science Review.

[82]  Viktor Dorer,et al.  Thermally activated building systems (TABS): Energy efficiency as a function of control strategy, hydronic circuit topology and (cold) generation system , 2011 .

[83]  Arno Schlueter,et al.  Evaluation of low-lift sensible cooling in the tropics using calibrated simulation models and preliminary testing , 2017 .

[84]  Jonathan A. Wright,et al.  A ventilated slab thermal storage system model , 1998 .

[85]  Martin Schmelas,et al.  Savings through the use of adaptive predictive control of thermo-active building systems (TABS): A case study , 2017 .

[86]  Gideon Aschwanden,et al.  The Thermoheliodome – “Air conditioning” without conditioning the air, using radiant cooling and indirect evaporation , 2017 .

[87]  Jianing Zhao,et al.  A new simplified model to calculate surface temperature and heat transfer of radiant floor heating and cooling systems , 2015 .

[88]  Dongmei Pan,et al.  A numerical study on the effects of design/operating parameters of the radiant panel in a radiation-based task air conditioning system on indoor thermal comfort and energy saving for a sleeping environment , 2017 .

[89]  Francesco Borrelli,et al.  Model predictive control of radiant slab systems with evaporative cooling sources , 2015 .

[90]  Martin Schmelas,et al.  Adaptive predictive control of thermo-active building systems (TABS) based on a multiple regression algorithm , 2015 .

[91]  S. Lorente,et al.  Constructal design of flow channels for radiant cooling panels , 2019, International Journal of Thermal Sciences.

[92]  Muhammed A. Hassan,et al.  An intuitive framework for optimizing energetic and exergetic performances of parabolic trough solar collectors operating with nanofluids , 2020 .

[93]  D. Yeom.  Investigation on the cooling performance of a green roof with a radiant cooling system , 2017 .

[94]  S. Lorente,et al.  Role of flow architectures on the design of radiant cooling panels, a constructal approach , 2019, Applied Thermal Engineering.

[95]  Youming Chen,et al.  Cooling capacity improvement for a radiant ceiling panel with uniform surface temperature distribution , 2016 .

[96]  Reza Arababadi,et al.  Applicability of Radiant Heating-Cooling Ceiling Panels in Residential Buildings in Different Climates of Iran☆ , 2016 .

[97]  Qian Wang,et al.  Study on Condensation Features of Radiant Cooling Ceiling , 2015 .

[98]  Yuan Wang,et al.  Study of an integrated radiant heating/cooling system with fresh air supply for household utilization , 2019, Building and Environment.

[99]  Jianlei Niu,et al.  A review of the application of radiant cooling & heating systems in Mainland China , 2012 .

[100]  Viktor Dorer,et al.  Control of thermally activated building systems (TABS) in intermittent operation with pulse width modulation , 2009 .

[101]  Zhenqian Chen,et al.  Study on indoor comfort of floor radiant cooling and displacement ventilation system in large space , 2019, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science.