Numerical simulation of radiant floor cooling system: The effects of thermal resistance of pipe and water velocity on the performance

Using the existing floor heating system, the radiant floor cooling system can be used as an alternative to the conventional all-air cooling systems. In this paper, a numerical model for the radiant floor cooling system is built using finite volume method. The objective of this study is to research the effects of the thermal resistance of pipe and water velocity on the performance of the radiant floor cooling system. In order to provide better heat transfer simulation in the pipe, composite grids are used in the model. The numerical floor surface temperature and the heat flux are in agreement with the measured results. The results illustrate that the pipe has effect on the performance of the radiant floor cooling system when the thermal conductivity of the pipe is low. However, the effect of the water velocity on the performance of the cooling system is not great. The model is helpful to calculate and design such kind of radiant floor cooling systems.