The effect of thermal load configuration on the performance of passive chilled beams

• We tested passive chilled beams in a temperature controlled room using thermal manikins and radiant panels as heat loads.
• The delivered cooling of the passive chilled beam decreased by 16% depending on the spatial arrangement of the manikins.
• Radiant panels compared to thermal manikins resulted in equivalent cooling from the passive chilled beam.
• Results show a dependence of the beam cooling capacity on the location but not the type of heat loads present in the space.

Experiments were conducted in a temperature controlled test room with a passive chilled beam and thermal manikins to measure the effect of heat source locations on the beam cooling capacity. Two configurations of thermal manikins and one configuration using radiant panels were tested through a range of conditions of the supply water to the passive chilled beam. The results of the experiments showed a dependence on the location, but not the type, of heat source on the cooling delivered to the test room by the beam. Thermal manikins placed asymmetrically to the beam location resulted in a 16% reduction in beam capacity as compared to thermal manikins placed symmetrically. Radiant panels oriented symmetrically on the floor of the test room resulted in an equivalent beam cooling rate compared to the symmetrically placed thermal manikins. A model based on fundamental heat transfer equations predicted the beam capacity of the symmetric thermal manikins but could not account for the reduced cooling capacity of the asymmetric configuration.