Thermal Comfort in Simulated Office Environment with Four Convective and Radiant Cooling Systems

Experiments with 24 human subjects in a simulated office with four cooling systems were performed. The systems were: chilled beam (CB), chilled beam with integrated radiant panel (CBR), chilled ceiling with overhead mixing ventilation (CCMV) and four desk partition mounted radiant cooling panels with overhead mixing ventilation (MVRC). Whole body thermal sensation (TS) and whole body TS acceptability under the four systems in a simulated office room for one hour exposure were collected. The simulated two-man office (4.12 x 4.20 x 2.89 m, L x W x H) was kept at 26 oC room air temperature. Moderate heat load of 64 W/m2 was generated by simulated solar heat load, 2 laptops and 2 occupants, giving in total 1104 W. The supplied outdoor air temperature was kept at 16 oC. The supply air flow rate for CB, CBR and CCMV was set to 26 L/s (category II low-polluting building, EN 15251-2007). For MVRC supply airflow of 44 L/s was set in order to maintain 26 oC room air temperature. Under the studied conditions, all four systems showed similar performance with respect to whole body TS: occupants felt between “neutral” to “slightly warm” on the TS scale in EN 15251-2007. Female felt whole body TS closer to “neutral” compared to male, whose votes were closer to the “slightly warm” thermal sensation. The whole body TS acceptability was rated close to ''clearly acceptable'' (EN 15251-2007) and was independent of subject's gender for all tested systems.