Experimental investigation of a radiant building using shallow pond water test rig

This research paper explores the feasible integration of free cooling shallow pond water with the radiant system of buildings equipped with radiant embedded infrastructure in the tropical savanna climatic region to minimize the operative temperature of the indoors. The system represents an innovative configuration of a pond water radiant heating/cooling system with a shallow pond water test rig to vary forward water temperatures, thereby analyzing the impact on the thermal performance of interior surfaces during the peak summer times when the cooling load is at its maximum. The purpose of the experimentation was to assess the impact of the radiant surface for various supply water temperatures by executing (i) the radiant system in the standalone mode, (ii) operating the radiant system along with the ceiling fan, and (iii) operating the radiant system along with the operating FCU. Two similar building envelopes were constructed to test the system performance; one was traditional, while the other was equipped with encapsulated pipes. The surface temperature, surface heat flux, air temperature, and weather conditions were measured continuously. Operating the radiant system with the FCU resulted in an operative temperature range of 26.8–29.95 °C, which was nearly 8 °C less than the highest operative temperature of the traditional building.