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Integrating membrane-assisted radiant cooling panels in building energy simulation

University of British Columbia

The world is in critical need of technologies that will make a significant and immediate impact in our fight against climate change. As global temperatures rise, building cooling demands could rise by 72% by the year 2100, meaning that the development of energy efficient space cooling technologies is becoming increasingly important. Radiant cooling panels have shown a lot of potential as an energy efficient method of supplying space cooling. However, they need to operate alongside dehumidification in many environments so that air moisture does not condense on their chilled surfaces. This thesis focuses on the development of the membrane assisted radiant cooling panel, a technology used to provide energy-efficient space cooling in hot and humid climates without the need for mechanical dehumidification. A heat balance model is developed that estimates the operational membrane temperature and cooling capacity of a membrane assisted panel. The model is then calibrated using data collected from a field experiment in Singapore. Additionally, a framework is developed that allows the heat transfer model to operate within a TRNSYS environment. This allows for the energy simulation of buildings that utilize membrane assisted panels for sensible space cooling. The framework is then used to predict the potential energy savings that could be obtained by implementing this technology in both Singapore and Vancouver. The membrane temperatures predicted by the calibrated heat transfer model differ from those observed through experimentation by 0.21°C. The model is sufficiently accurate for condensation mitigation, however, concerns regarding the coefficients used to model natural convection, along with the data used for calibration, need to be addressed before the model can be applied to different panel geometries. While some aspects of the TRNSYS framework need to be further developed, it was found through simulation that membrane assisted radiant cooling can provide significant energy savings in both tropical and temperate climates. The framework developed in this study will bring membrane assisted radiant cooling closer to widespread implementation, as modelers will be able to optimize the design of a radiant system before its construction in a building.

Text

2021-01-09

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/77038

Mechanical Engineering

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/