Adam Rysanek

The world is in critical need of technologies that will make a significant andimmediate impact in our fight against climate change. As global temperaturesrise, building cooling demands could rise by 72% by the year 2100,meaning that the development of energy efficient space cooling technologiesis becoming increasingly important. Radiant cooling panels have shown a lotof potential as an energy efficient method of supplying space cooling. However,they need to operate alongside dehumidification in many environmentsso that air moisture does not condense on their chilled surfaces.This thesis focuses on the development of the membrane assisted radiantcooling panel, a technology used to provide energy-efficient space cooling inhot and humid climates without the need for mechanical dehumidification.A heat balance model is developed that estimates the operational membranetemperature and cooling capacity of a membrane assisted panel. The modelis then calibrated using data collected from a field experiment in Singapore.Additionally, a framework is developed that allows the heat transfer modelto operate within a TRNSYS environment. This allows for the energy simulationof buildings that utilize membrane assisted panels for sensible spacecooling. The framework is then used to predict the potential energy savingsthat could be obtained by implementing this technology in both Singapore and Vancouver.The membrane temperatures predicted by the calibrated heat transfermodel differ from those observed through experimentation by 0.21°C. Themodel is sufficiently accurate for condensation mitigation, however, concernsregarding the coefficients used to model natural convection, along with thedata used for calibration, need to be addressed before the model can beapplied to different panel geometries. While some aspects of the TRNSYSframework need to be further developed, it was found through simulationthat membrane assisted radiant cooling can provide significant energy savingsin both tropical and temperate climates.The framework developed in this study will bring membrane assistedradiant cooling closer to widespread implementation, as modelers will beable to optimize the design of a radiant system before its construction in abuilding.

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