Research

Night time cooling by ventilation or night sky radiation combined with in-room radiant cooling panels including phase change materials

Read the article

Abstract

Night sky radiative cooling technology using PhotoVoltaic/Thermal panels (PVT) and night time ventilation have been studied both by means of simulations and experiments to evaluate their potential and to validate the created simulation model used to describe it. An experimental setup has been constructed at the Technical University of Denmark, where the outside PVT panels are connected through a storage tank to in-room radiant ceiling panels. The radiant ceiling panels include phase change material (PCM) and embedded pipes for circulating water. Due to the phase change material it is possible to store the heat generated during the day from internal sources. Then during the night the panels can be cooled down again and regenerated. The possibility of cooling down the panels during the night with outside air was also studied. The night cooling power of the PVT panels ranged from 92 to 119 W/m2 depending on the sky clearness. This cooling power was enough to remove the stored heat and regenerate the ceiling panels. The validation simulation model results related to PCM were close to the corresponding results extracted from the experiment, while the results related to the production of cold water through the night sky radiative cooling differed significantly. The possibility of night time ventilation was studied through simulations for three different latitudes. It was concluded that for Danish climatic conditions night time ventilation would also be able to regenerate the panels while its contribution is not sufficient in warmer South-European climates.