A Numerical Study on the Exergy Performance of a Hybrid Radiant Cooling System in an Office Building: Comparative Case Study and Analysis

Abstract

This research investigated the exergy enhancement performance of a hybrid radiant cooling system adapting to a hot and humid summer conditions through comparative case studies and analyses. This study suggested three cooling systems: a general all-air system (AAS), a conventional radiant cooling system (CRCS), and a hybrid radiant cooling system (HRCS). As a case study, an office building with cooling systems was examined in the summer season in four different cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou, China. This study utilized the building energy performance simulation program to analyze the cooling loads of office space in a building with numerical approaches. The comparison analysis using the four different weather datasets showed simple and rational exergy efficiency and the overall impact ratio. According to the results, the ambient conditions, i.e., the surrounding temperature and the humidity ratio, significantly impacted the cooling systems’ exergy efficiency ratio. On the basis of the calculated energetic and exergetic performance, the HRCS had a higher exergy efficiency and a higher overall impact ratio. The HRCS system released an additional 20–30% of cooling output, and it could adapt well in extreme hot and humid weather conditions compared to the AAS and the CRCS system. The overall cooling impact ratio of the HRCS with an airbox convector was approximately 185% higher than that of the AAS and 8.5% higher than that of the CRCS. This study can provide the design references for the hybrid radiant cooling system and other cooling systems in hot and humid summer conditions.