Radiant cooling is an energy-efficient approach of airconditioning that is implemented successfully intemperate climate zones. However, in hot and humid climate of the tropics, application of radiant cooling is quite challenge due to (i) its limited cooling capacity by high-moisture ambient air and (ii) the problem of moisture condensation on the cooled radiant panels. This paper reports study results of radiant cooling in a room with daytime application in the tropical climate zone. The study comprises physical experiments of a radiant cooling system that the cool panels were installed in a room of a laboratory building. A fan coil unit was also equipped in the room in order to remove moisture from the room air by ventilation. In the study, TRNSYS simulation software was used to model the systems and to determine the heat extraction rate of the cool panels. Thermal comfort level in the room was evaluated by predicted mean vote (PMV) index. The results show that the radiant cooling is able to be used for air conditioning to achieve human comfort for buildings in tropical zone.

This research focused on the enhancement of a conventional air ventilation system by using monitoring control. A specially designed system was developed to optimize the current systems in order to improve the air quality and thermal comfort in buildings. Indoor parameters, such as temperature, humidity, and air pollution (CO2), were monitored and controlled. Researchers accumulated data and implemented performance analysis as a tool for assessing specially designed air ventilation systems. These practices were designed based on a concept that is dedicated outdoor air systems that were comprised of a composite desiccant unit in addition to a thermoelectric module to address tremendous latent and sensible loads of air inlet. The results of the experiment indicated that the 12 V of electrical supply to thermoelectric provided the highest COP of the system, and the temperature and humidity in the comfort zone was approximately 27 ๐C and 55%, respectively, due to this newly developed system. Furthermore, the CO2 levels were lower than 1000 ppm during this research study, which were in accordance with established standards of indoor air quality.