Numerical evaluation of the thermal performance of a ceiling radiant cooling panel integrated with radiation shields and ventilation air

Ceiling radiant cooling systems have received interest due to their ability to provide thermal comfort while consuming less energy than conventional HVAC systems. This research introduces a novel radiant cooling panel surrounded by suspended radiation shields, which is additionally combined with ventilation air supplied from a slot on the lower surface of the panel to improve the performance of existing radiant ceiling cooling panels. The performance of this developed design was evaluated numerically by Computational Fluid Dynamic analysis. The performance of different cases with the same panel area and the same panel temperature with and without new changes was investigated. The results showed that the incorporation of suspended shields enhances the cooling performance of the panel, resulting in a 1 degrees C reduction in average room air temperature. Furthermore, supplying ventilation air decreases the average room air temperature by 3.4 degrees C compared to conventional ceiling radiant cooling panels. Therefore, this system has enhanced the cooling capacity of the radiant panel and could operate at higher panel surface temperatures under the same conditions. Also, this hybrid system improves thermal comfort by using a minimum required ventilation flow rate and higher ventilation temperatures than common HVAC systems. Therefore, it also has the potential for energy savings.