A simulation study on condensation risk in radiant cooling panels with elevated air movement
Rattachement africain : us, sg, jp. Niveau de preuve : code pays fourni par la source.
Le résumé fourni par la source
Radiant cooling panels are an energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) alternative to conventional all-air systems, as they operate with higher chilled water temperatures and rely on water as the primary heat transfer medium. However, their wider adoption has been constrained by the risk of surface condensation, which limits allowable surface temperatures and reduces cooling capacity. Elevated air movement, such as that induced by ceiling fans, has been proposed as a strategy to enhance cooling capacity and maintain thermal comfort, yet its impact on condensation behavior remains insufficiently understood, particularly under conditions where panel surfaces operate below the dew point. This study employs transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using the interThermalPhaseChangeFoam solver in Open FOAM to investigate the effects of air speed on condensation phenomena over a uniformly cooled radiant panel. A simplified numerical wind tunnel containing a small-scale radiant panel element is simulated to isolate airflow effects on phase change behavior with air temperatures of 22-27 °C, relative humidity levels of 50-60%, air velocities ranging from 0-3 m/s, and panel surface temperatures set 0.5-2.0 °C below the dew point. The analysis focuses on steady-state phase change heat flux and equivalent water thickness on the panel surface. Results show that increasing subcooling temperature (defined as the difference between the panel surface temperature and the dew-point temperature of the surrounding air) consistently increases both phase change heat and equivalent water thickness. In contrast, the influence of air speed on phase change heat is strongly dependent on subcooling level, exhibiting non-monotonic behavior at higher subcooling conditions. Meanwhile, the equivalent water thickness decreases monotonically with increasing air velocity across all cases, indicating enhanced removal of condensed water by airflow. These findings demonstrate that condensation risk cannot be assessed using a single metric alone and highlight the importance of jointly considering latent heat transfer and surface water retention. The results further suggest that, under appropriate subcooling and airflow conditions, elevated air movement may enable increased cooling capacity while mitigating practical condensation risks in radiant cooling applications.
Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.
Le contrôle bibliographique ouvert
DOI retrouvé dans Crossref DOI retrouvé ; titre concordant.
- Titre Crossref
- A simulation study on condensation risk in radiant cooling panels with elevated air movement
- Date Crossref
- 01/01/2026
- Éditeur
- EDP Sciences
- Type
- journal-article
Ce recoupement confirme des métadonnées liées au DOI. Il ne confirme ni la méthode ni les conclusions de l’étude, et il ne compte pas comme une seconde source scientifique indépendante.
Où se fait cette recherche
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University of California System Center for the Built Environment pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Nanyang Technological University pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Stanford University Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Princeton University Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Global Engineering Research and Technologies (United States) pays non établi dans la noticeEntreprise
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Sanken Electric (Japan) pays non établi dans la noticeEntreprise
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Ltd. (Japan) Sanken Setsubi Kogyo Co. pays non établi dans la noticeEntreprise
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School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Global Environmental Technologies Inc pays non établi dans la noticeEntreprise
Center for the Built Environment — University of California System, Nanyang Technological University et Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics — Stanford University, avec 6 autres affiliations.
Une affiliation ne permet pas de déduire la nationalité d’un auteur.