ABSTRACT
Radiant floor cooling systems have been around for quite some time now, but are not
extensively used or much talked about in the industry. The background for this thesis
lies in a question formulated by a HVAC – consultancy firm, wanting to know if the
radiant floor cooling system they had installed worked in an adequate way regarding
given cooling effects. Other issues raised were the precision of current calculation
methods as well as important design factors to retrieve a high cooling effect. The
question was broadened to consider the effect of the system on the thermal climate,
where mainly temperature profiles and surface temperatures were studied.
The thesis is divided into one simulation- and one measurement study. The
measurement study is, of course, study specific, and an atrium in the Centre of
Gothenburg is studied. The measurements are mainly conducted to study the thermal
climate in the atrium, as well as retrieve in data to the cooling effect calculations.
Through simulations the in data was altered yielding different scenarios (i.e. with and
without floor cooling), investigating the impact on the thermal climate.
To retrieve as high cooling effect as possible, the thickness and thermal conductivity
of the screed are important factors. Other important factors, more connected to the
balancing of the system, are water temperatures and flows. When the cooling effect
was calculated, a finding was that the current method to approximate the cooling
effect was not accurate enough. As for the results from the measurement study; they
show a clear effect from the radiant floor cooling system on the temperature levels on
the first floors. Higher up in the atrium the effect is not as evident.
Some study specific and general recommendations were found in this thesis; among
them were the importance of thoroughly thinking through the activities and room
conditions. A discussion concerning the viability of the system concludes the thesis,
and the answer to the question is; it depends, partly on the activities in the room.