A high temperature cooling system does not need to overcool the air to achieve the comfort humidity level, thus saving energy for air conditioning. This is mainly achieved through a separate cooling and humidity removal system.
The high-temperature cooling system in the ZCB is comprised of chilled beams, underfloor displacement cooling and desiccant dehumidification.
A chilled beam is a type of air conditioning system designed to cool buildings. Pipes of water are passed through a "beam" (a heat exchanger) suspended a short distance from the ceiling of a room. As the beam chills the air around it, the air becomes denser and falls to the floor. It is replaced by warmer air moving up from below, causing a constant flow of air movement and cooling the room.
Underfloor displacement cooling is an air distribution strategy for providing ventilation and space conditioning in buildings. The systems use the underfloor plenum beneath a raised floor to provide conditioned air through floor diffusers directly to the occupied zone.
A desiccant dehumidifier uses chemicals to remove moisture from the air. The Desiccant dehumidifier works by passing high relative humidity air over a desiccant such as a silica gel that attracts moisture. Then a low relative humidity air stream is run back over the desiccant to remove the water molecules from the desiccant.
In conventional systems, cooling and dehumidification are done at the same time. At the ZCB, desiccant dehumidification is a separate process, improving efficiency compared to the combined cooling and dehumidification system.
The cool and dry air is supplied from the floor up – it gathers heat from the occupants and begins to rise. A vertical flow is generated near each occupant, creating a healthier environment as germs are less likely to spread, and stale air is exhausted near the ceiling.