Experimental and Theoretical Study of Heat Transfer in a Chilled Ceiling System

Radiant cooling has been growing in recent years due to energy savings and improved comfort and health. The aim of this study was to reduce energy consumption and provide comfort using a chilled ceiling panel in the zone. In the experimental part of this study, a test room was created to investigate the change in the heat transfer performance of a chilled ceiling panel according to different water temperatures, different water flow rates and different heat source values. As a result of the experimental study, it was found that optimum conditions were achieved with a heat rate of 280 Watts and the lowest supply water temperature of 14 °C, with indoor comfort conditions being achieved with water flow rates of 0.93 m3/h. In the theoretical part of this study, a thermal balance was established for ceiling panel cooling applications. An analytical model of the heat transfer between the cold ceiling panel and the room air was also developed. The convection coefficient, convective heat transfer and total heat transfer coefficient were compared using the values obtained from the experiments and those reported in the literature. It was found that the convection coefficient was within the range reported in the literature, and the radiation heat coefficient was within 99.8% of the literature values.