Heat transfer and cooling characteristics of concrete ceiling radiant cooling panel

Concrete ceiling panel cooling system had advantages of comfort and energy saving. This study presented heat transfer and cooling characteristics of the concrete ceiling radiant cooling panel. Two-dimensional mathematical model of steady state heat transfer was developed by using finite difference method. Heat transfer in the concrete panel was numerically simulated. Temperatures of interior and surface of the concrete panel were obtained. According to calculated results, temperature distribution of the concrete panel was analyzed under the condition of different supply water temperatures and distances of tubes, and the numerical model was accurate enough by the experiment. Actual operation characteristics of concrete ceiling panel cooling system were analyzed according to measured data. It was found that the large thermal inertia of the concrete panel caused the temperatures of panel and indoor air to drop slowly, however it reduced the adverse impact from supply water temperature fluctuation. The cooling capacity of the concrete panel was influenced by supply water temperature, distance of tubes and water flow rate directly. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.