TABS

In a previous study, an optimal control method was proposed for typical office space in hot and humid regions where Thermally Activated Building Systems (TABS) are installed. This method was based on a combination of load prediction, model predictive control, sparse modeling. The cooling capacity and indoor thermal environment were evaluated using computational fluid dynamics analysis and coupled MATLAB/Simulink analysis.

Japan will have to further reduce CO2 emissions to meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement negotiated at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Society is increasingly demanding higher energy-efficiency standards and zero-energy buildings because general commercial buildings have high energy costs, especially for air conditioning.

A current trend is to consider that the presence of free hanging sound absorbers (FHU) installed in Thermally Activated Buildings (TABS) reduces the thermal comfort by lowering radiative and convective exchanges with the cooled concrete slab. In this study we propose a simple thermal model of FHU which may be implemented into building simulation software like TRNSys. This model considers convective and radiative exchanges but also the air flows above and below FHU. Experimentally, we observe that a ceiling coverage of 50% leads to a operative temperature increase of 0.3°C.