The cooling potential of a metallic nocturnal radiator.

The dynamic performance of a radiative cooling system for buildings is calculated and presented in the present paper. The cooling system consists of a lightweight metallic radiator covered by a single polyethylene wind screen and used for cooling the ambient air below its designed initial temperature. The cooler air is directed and eventually mixed with the indoor air of the building to provide primarily instantaneous thermal comfort during the night and secondly to cool the interior mass of the building by convection, thus creating a cold storage for the following day. The present system analysis was performed for one among a large number of rehabilitated historical industrial buildings located in Legnano--a city close to Milano. The dynamic thermal performance of the system during the summer period has been calculated using an accurate mathematical model. Temporal variations of the radiator performance have been developed as a function of all the input parameters.