In this study, a hybrid air-conditioning system using fan assisted natural ventilation and radiant floor cooling will be suggested. This system is based on the concept of utilizing both natural ventilation and radiant floor cooling. The concept of rad...
In this study, a hybrid air-conditioning system using fan assisted natural ventilation and radiant floor cooling will be suggested. This system is based on the concept of utilizing both natural ventilation and radiant floor cooling. The concept of radiant floor cooling has been suggested by running chilled water using the plumbing installed for radiant floor heating in Korean housing. The difference between the existing radiant cooling system and hybrid air-conditioning system suggested by in this study can be summarized as the use of nature power.
In this system, when outdoor air is favorable, the outdoor air flows into indoors by natural ventilation which can be used to control indoor environment. Even though it is impossible for a higher outdoor temperature to cool a room by natural ventilation, outdoor air can still be introduced to supply the fresh air for indoors. In the meantime, the lower part of the room can be well cooled by a radiant floor cooling. However, the radiant floor cooling may cause condensation on a floor surface under hot and humid climate such as summer season in Korea. Thus, the fully controlled ventilation is needed during the operation of cooling system. The ventilation unit as a part of hybrid air-conditioning system has a dehumidification and pre-cooling features, as results the controlled fresh air introduced indoors when outdoor is unfavorable. This strategy is expected to be energy-efficient and to provide adequate thermal comfort and good air-quality in the room.
The following summarizes the findings presented in this study.
(1) Domestic climate analysis to examine the possibility of room environment control through natural ventilation, shows that adjustment to the room environment through nature ventilation is possible during much time from May to October.
This results indicate that domestic application of hybrid air-conditioning system using natural ventilation and air-conditioning was far possible rather than conventional air-conditioning system.
(2) Through investigation of an existing research of the hybrid air-conditioning system and weather data analysis, scheme of hybrid air-conditioning system that was suitable for domestic was made. Hybrid air-conditioning system proposed in this research access to a required ventilation demand through a natural ventilation or a mechanical ventilation. Also, outside air introduce minimum ventilation into indoor under disadvantage, this system minimizes cooling/heating load by introduction outdoor air through dehumidification and pre-heating, pre-cooling. Also, the hybrid air-conditioning system can realize a radiant floor cooling through the existent panel using heating pipe in the floor, and solve the problem of control response in indoor, and dehumidification on the floor surface. And it solves ventilation and air-conditioning at the same time.
(3) Possibility, as an air-conditioning system of the hybrid air-conditioning system that is proposed in this research through simulation, is examined about control of indoor environment, energy performance. As a result, hybrid air-conditioning system might increase latent load by outdoor introduction in summer, and increase heating load by outdoor introduction in winter, but performance of hybrid air-conditioning system is seen as better than conventional ventilation system.
(4) This study produced prototype of the hybrid air-conditioning system through using the simulation result and system performance examined through a laboratory experiment. To make out control algorithm, an experiment executed previously about discharge coefficient in opening, variation of ventilation rate by outdoor condition, temperature compensation, dehumidification, etc.
(5) Complete system control logic through experiment result of (4) was applied in this system, and it examined indoor environment under laboratory condition in summer. As a result, control mode in the system was converted well from mechanical ventilation to natural ventilation according to outdoor air condition, and ventilation rate was also regulated. Also, it confirmed that control of indoor temperature and control of condensation were operated properly.
(6) TRNSYS simulation was conducted to examine adaptability of this system to actuality apartment house. In case outdoor air condition is profitable, outdoor air of average 2 ACH flowed in. A variation of room temperature appeared greatly than that of existent air conditioner, but room temperature was controlled under setpoint. It was represented that energy consumption of the hybrid air-conditioning system reduced about 30 ~ 40% than conventional air-conditioning system.
Through results in this study, it is confirmed that hybrid air-conditioning system proposed in this research is a superior choice than conventional air-conditioning system in ventilation performance, control of indoor environment, cutback of the energy.