Experimental study on cooling and dehumidification performance of a novel radiant-convective terminal based on micro heat pipe array

Abstract

Conventional radiant terminal systems face limitations such as surface condensation, insufficient cooling capacity, and inability to manage latent loads. These issues complicate air conditioning systems and slow thermal response, making it challenging to achieve efficient cooling and dehumidification simultaneously. This study introduces a novel radiant-convective terminal based on a micro heat pipe array which integrates cooling and dehumidification functions. This design improves heat transfer efficiency and accelerates system response via forced convection. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of water supply temperature, water flow rate, and wind speed on the terminal’s cooling and dehumidification performance. Additionally, a quantitative analysis of its performance characteristics was carried out. The results demonstrate that, under forced convection conditions, the thermal response speed of the terminal is significantly enhanced, with the surface temperature stabilizing within approximately 20 min. When the water supply temperature is 8 °C, the water flow rate is 400 L/h, and the wind speed is 1.5 m/s, the cooling capacity reaches 617.1 W/m², with latent heat transfer accounting for 25 %, and the dehumidification capacity achieving 0.44 kg/h. After comparison, the terminal’s unit area cooling capacity is 498 % of the traditional radiant terminal’s, and its dehumidification capacity is 64 % of the integrated cooling and dehumidification terminal’s. Experimental data were used to derive the correlation between cooling capacity and excess temperature, as well as the expression for dehumidification capacity. This study provides theoretical and experimental foundations for designing and optimizing the novel radiant terminal, offering valuable insights for high-efficiency cooling and dehumidification systems.