2980 -- An Experimental Study of the Transient Response of a Radiant Panel Ceiling and Enclosure PDF

The transient response of a radiant heating system and enclosure was investigated for a range of hot-water supply temperatures and flow rates. The radiant heating system consisted of copper tubes embedded in a standard plaster ceiling at 6-in (152-mm) intervals. Transient experiments were performed by heating the radiant ceiling and enclosure from a cooled-down condition by using a step change in the hot-water supply temperature. Temperature transients in the water supply and return lines on the ceiling and wall. surfaces and in the room air were then monitored for a period of several hours. Results were as follows: the ceiling temperature was uniform; the thermal response of the ceiling and enclosure was slow because of the large thermal mass in the ceiling; the air temperature did not lag the wall and floor temperature; and the room walls were heated by a combination of radiation heat transfer from the ceiling and convection heat transfer from the air. In addition, the transient response of the radiant system was found to be a function of water supply temperatures but not of water flow rate.

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