Influence of the ventilation system on thermal comfort of the chilled panel system in heating mode

In heating mode, fresh air is still essential for a chilled panel system in order to ensure the indoor air quality. In this paper, a chilled ceiling panel system was designed and built in a typical office room. The thermal environment and thermal comfort in the room were fully measured and evaluated by using the Fanger's PMV–PPD model and the standard of ISO 7730 respectively, when room was heated in two modes, one of which is the chilled panel heating mode and the other of which is the combined heating mode of chilled panel and supply air. The research results indicate that in the combined mode, ceiling ventilation improves the general thermal comfort and reduces the risk of local discomfort. Under the condition of same general thermal comfort, the heating supply upper limit of chilled panel can be increased by 12.3% because of air mixing effect caused by introduction of air ventilation.

Research highlights▶ Ventilation system increases the heating supply capacity of ceiling chilled panels. ▶ Ventilation would not destroy general thermal comfort in ceiling chilled panel heating mode. ▶ Vertical temperature difference is the most critical in ceiling chilled panel heating mode. ▶ Ventilation help to reduce the risk of local discomfort in ceiling chilled panel heating mode.