CH-06-2-3
Radiant Cooled Floors—
Operation and Control Dependant
upon Solar Radiation
Peter Simmonds, PhD Bungane Mehlomakulu
Member ASHRAE
ABSTRACT
Radiant cooled floors have been successfully used on
many projects over the past ten years, and many ASHRAE and
other peer-reviewed papers have been written on these
projects. However, many questions still arise regarding the
performance of radiant cooled floors when subjected to solar
radiation. The convective cooling performance of a cooled
floor has been reported by Olesen (1994) and Simmonds
(1994); Borressen (1994) reported on the solar absorption of
a radiant cooled floor, which was further reported by
Simmonds, Gaw, Holst and Reuss (2000). Even with this
research, many questions are still being raised regarding the
performance of a radiant cooled floor when absorbing solar
radiation. This paper explains the performance of the floor,
including some limitations of the presented calculation method
and information on controllability.
INTRODUCTION
This paper will outline the performance of a radiant
cooled floor subjected to different solar radiation intensities
and will look further into the controllability of the radiant
cooled floor to maintain certain conditions, such as space
temperatures and floor surface temperatures. The influence of
floor coverings on radiant cooled floors will also be discussed.
Radiant systems are dimensioned in accordance with the
ensuing radiant heat exchange in the space. Radiant systems
are usually designed as a hydronic system; therefore, the
amount of space necessary for the installation is considerably
less than for a conventional air-conditioning system. Because
of the low plenum height necessary to accommodate the
installations, more architectural freedom is provided. The
radiant system can be designed to provide both individual and
zone control.
Peter Simmonds is an associate mechanical engineer and Bungane Mehlomakulu is a mechanical engineer at IBE Consulting Engineers,
Sherman Oaks, Calif. Thilo Eibert is a research engineer at Flack + Kurtz, Inc., San Francisco, Calif.
©2006 ASHRAE. THIS PREPRINT MAY NOT BE DISTRIBUTED IN PAPER OR DIGITAL FORM IN WHOLE OR IN PART. IT IS FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY
AT THE 2006 ASHRAE WINTER MEETING. The archival version of this paper along with comments and author responses will be published in ASHRAE Transactions,
Volume 112, Part 1. ASHRAE must receive written questions or comments regarding this paper by February 3, 2006, if they are to be included in Transactions.
Thilo Eibert
Associate Member ASHRAE
Previous papers by Simmonds (1994) have shown that
radiant cooled floors are capable of removing between 35 to
40 W/m2 (11-12.5 [Btu/h]/ft2) from spaces. Borressen (1994)
and Simmonds, Gaw, Holst and Reuss (2000) have shown that
radiant cooled floors are capable of removing up to 85 W/m2
(27.0 [Btu/h]/ft2) of energy from a space, 35 W/m2 (11.1 [Btu/
h]/ft2) by convection and 50 W/m2 (16 [Btu/h]/ft2) by solar
absorption. This paper uses a simple steady-state equation to
explain the performance of a radiant cooled floor when
performing at its maximum capacity of both reducing the
space air temperature and absorbing solar radiation that is
reaching the floor. There are several dynamic simulation
programs that accomplish the dynamic performance of a radi-
ant floor, but a steady-state model is presented in this paper to
simplify the explanation. Many papers have been written on
the performance of radiant floors for heating (MacCluer 1991;
Athienitis and Shou 1991; Simmonds 1994; Olesen 1994).
Meirhans and Olesen (1999) have reported on the perfor-
mance of active concrete systems. There are future plans to
write a paper on dynamic simulation of a radiant cooled floor.
BACKGROUND
There has been advancement in simulation programs that
have permitted a more detailed analysis of the indoor environ-
ment. With these advanced simulation tools, the individual
elements necessary for the creation of a comfortable indoor
climate using the predicted mean vote (PMV) as determined
by Fanger (1972) and the radiant heat exchange can be studied.
Because each individual surface temperature and its relation-
ship (i.e., its position in relation to the other surfaces) can be
determined, a solution to the comfort equation can be found.
The PMV/PPD comfort equation, derived by Fanger and
included in ASHRAE Standard 55-2004 (ASHRAE 2004),
can be influenced by the control or balance of the radiant heat The sum of convective heat transfer qcon and longwave
exchange in a space. When a radiant cooled floor is operated radiant heat transfer ql,rad will be defined as the space energy
correctly, the surface temperature of the floor can be regulated. transfer qs (W/m2) and can be written as
Absorbing a major portion of the solar radiation entering the
space also prevents the floor from emitting thermal energy in qs = qcon + ql,rad , (2)
the form of longwave radiation back into the space and onto
where qs = space energy transfer of the radiant floor (W/m2).
other surfaces.
When incorporating a radiant system and a constant The convective heat flux and the longwave radiant heat
volume ventilating system, the ventilation system need only flux can be expressed as
be dimensioned to supply outdoor air for each person and to qcon = hcon · (tf – tair)
remove the latent and sensible loads from people, equipment,
and lighting. The radiant system is then selected to remove the ql,rad = hl,rad · (tf – tMRT) , (3)
remaining cooling loads. Simmonds (1994) has reported on
some of these designs and how effective they are in providing where
comfort climate control. hcon = convective energy exchange coefficient floor to
Since cooling surfaces make no contribution to air space (W/m2K),
renewal, the surfaces are usually operated in conjunction with
hl,rad = longwave radiant energy exchange coefficient floor
a ventilating or air-conditioning plant, which also ensures the
to space (W/m2K),
necessary dehumidification is provided. The combination of a
radiant cooled system with a natural ventilation system and tair = space air temperature (°C),
operable windows may also be possible in certain climate tMRT = surrounding surface temperature (°C), and
conditions. tf = floor surface temperature (°C).
FUNDAMENTAL CALCULATIONS
A radiant floor system exchanges thermal energy with the Longwave Radiant Energy Exchange Coefficient
space by means of convection, shortwave radiation, and long- It is assumed that all surfaces are radiantly gray, so the
wave radiation. Since an understanding of the three different
radiant heat flux between floor surface and the other surfaces
kinds of heat transfer is very important for calculating and
(according to Fanger [1972]) can be written as
optimizing a radiant floor system, this paper contains a
detailed narrative and mathematical description. N
4 4
The three different types of heat transfer of the radiant q rad = ε f ⋅ σ ⋅ T f – ∑ ε i ⋅ σ ⋅ T i ⋅ F Af – Ai , (4)
floor are: i=1

• Convection: Heat transfer between the floor surface and where

the conductive air of the space.
εf = emittance of floor surface,
• Longwave radiation: The heat flux that occurs between
the floor surface and the room surfaces; its quantity and εi = emittance of the other surfaces,
wavelength are temperature dependent. σ = Stefan-Boltzmann constant,
• Shortwave radiation: Sources of shortwave radiation Tf = absolute temperature of floor surface,
are high-temperature surfaces such as the sun and elec-
tric lights. The transfer of shortwave radiation within a Ti = absolute temperature of surfaces i, and
room does not depend on the temperature of surfaces. FAf–Ai = view factor between floor surface Af and surfaces Ai.
Shortwave radiation on the floor will be either absorbed
or reflected, but the radiant floor itself is not a source of Because the emittances for gray surfaces, as in the case of
shortwave radiation. The main source of shortwave radi- internal wall surfaces in a space, are nearly equal (0.9 to 0.95),
ation in a space is from the direct sunlight entering the Equation 4 can be linearized:
space and from electrical lighting.
N
The total heat flux of the radiant floor system can be writ- q rad = ε ⋅ σ ∑ Θfi ( T f – T i )F Af – Ai (5)
ten as the sum of the three types of heat transfer: i=1

qtot = qcon + ql,rad + qs,rad (1) where

where 4 4
Tf – Ti
qtot = total energy transfer (W/m2) Θfi = ----------------- . (6)
Tf – Ti
qcon = convective energy transfer (W/m2)
ql,rad = longwave radiant energy transfer (W/m2) The values of Θfi vary only slightly with the temperature
qs,rad = shortwave absorption (W/m2) level in normal spaces by using floor cooling and heating.

2 CH-06-2-3
 The equation can now be written as
N Calculating the convective heat transfer coefficient for
q rad = ε ⋅ σ ⋅ Θ f ∑ ( T f – T i ) ⋅ F Af – Ai ,
i=1
where Θf is expressed as the constant value of 1.05 × 108 K3.
The product ε⋅σ⋅Θf is the radiant heat exchange coeffi-
cient between floor surface and space, hrad.
h rad = ε ⋅ σ ⋅ Θ f
Substituting Equation 8 into Equation 7 gives
N Approach: hcon = 1.0 W/m2⋅K
q rad = h rad ⋅ ∑ ( T f – T i ) ⋅ F Af – Ai .
i=1
Radiant heat flux can thus be calculated by using Equa-
tion 9. Two different values are given in the literature for the
Stefan-Boltzmann constant σ, 5.67 × 10–8 W/m2⋅K4
(ASHRAE 1996) and 5.77 × 10–8 W/m2⋅K4 (Fanger 1972).
Calculating hrad for different combinations of ε and σ (see
Table 1) shows that with only a small amount of error, a
constant value of hrad = 5.5 W/m2K can be used.
From Table 1, using the variant calculation of hrad and
using Equation 8 above, Θf is calculated to be 1.05 × 108 K3.
Convective Heat Exchange Coefficient
The convective heat exchange is caused by the difference
in density, the action of gravity, and the space air currents. The
heat exchange coefficient between the floor surface and the air
is a function of the temperature difference. In the case of only
natural ventilation, two different formulas are given in the
literature.
0.31
Cooling: h con = 0.54 ⋅ ∆T
(Recknagel and Sprenger 2000)
0.31
Cooling: h con = 0.74 ⋅ ( 1.8 ⋅ ∆T )
(ASHRAE 1996 [converted into SI Units]),
where
hcon = convective heat exchange coefficient (°C) and
∆T = temperature difference between floor surface and
space air.
Table 1.
σ = 5,67 × 10 W/m K σ = 5,77 × 10 W/m K
–8 2 4 –8
ε = 0.90 hrad = 5.35 W/m2K hrad = 5.45 W/m2K
ε = 0.95 hrad = 5.67 W/m2K hrad = 5.76 W/m2K
CH-06-2-3
Floor Cooling
(7) cooling ∆T between 3 K and 7 K gives a range of hcon between
1.1 and 1.4 W/m2K (ASHRAE 1996) and 0.8 and 1.0 W/m2K
(Recknagel and Sprenger 2000). The formula from Recknagel
and Sprenger gives only the natural convection heat exchange
factor without consideration of the space air currents.
Experimental tests have been conducted to measure and
calculate the convective heat exchange coefficient (Olesen et
(8)
al. 1998) with the result that a value of 1.0 W/m2K can be used.
This result corresponds nearly with the variant calculation by
using the literature formulas.
(9)
Space Heat Flux Coefficient
Using the method outlined above to calculate the heat flux
between floor surface and space, the convective and the long-
wave radiant heat fluxes have to be calculated separately. The
convective heat flux is calculated using the temperature differ-
ence between the floor surface and air temperature, and the
longwave radiant heat exchange is calculated using the
temperature difference between the floor surface and the
surrounding surface temperature. For specific calculations, as
well as for optimization calculation, this method should be
used.
For most cases involving the design of radiant floor
systems and for calculating capacity, the total heat exchange
coefficient, defined in this report, can be substituted with the
space heat exchange coefficient to simplify calculation. The
space heat exchange coefficient is defined as the combined
value of the convective and longwave heat exchange coeffi-
cients with a common reference temperature. Since most
comfort requirements and standards are based on the operative
temperature (dry resultant temperature and some heat load
calculations are using this temperature), the operative temper-
ature can be used as the reference temperature (Olesen et al.
(10) 1998; ASHRAE 2004).
The space heat transfer defined in Equation 2 can be
simplified and expressed as
(11) qs = hs · (tf – to) , (12)
where
hs = space heat exchange coefficient (W/m2K),
tf = floor surface temperature (°C), and
to = operative temperature (°C).
The space heat exchange coefficient is, however, not a
physical constant, as described above, because the physically
2 4
correct reference temperatures for convection and longwave
radiation are different. With reasonable accuracy, the space
heat exchange coefficient can be defined for common radiant
floor applications, as in office buildings with normal ceiling
3
height, residential buildings, and similar buildings and spaces.
The following space heat exchange coefficient can be used:
hs = hrad + hcon
where
hrad = 5.5 W/m2⋅K and
hcov = 1.0 W/m2⋅K,
giving hs,tot = 6.5 W/m2⋅K for floor cooling.
This value is the summation of hcon and hl,rad. This
simplification is physically correct if the air temperature of the
space and the surrounding surface temperature are the same.
For common applications such as office spaces, the
surface temperature of the exterior elements (wall, window,
roof) in summer are above the air temperature, while the
temperature of the other surfaces do not significantly deviate
from the air temperature. For perimeter zones, this means a
higher physical space heat flux needs to be calculated, but for
the interior zones, assuming a small temperature differential
between the air and surrounding surface is nearly correct.
Operative Temperature
The operative temperature (dry resultant temperature) is
numerically the average of the air temperature tair and mean
radiant temperature trad weighted by their respective heat
transfer coefficients. Most requirements for comfort are based
on the operative temperature in a space, and for heat loss calcu-
lations in buildings (ASHRAE 1996) the operative tempera-
ture is commonly used and known.
The operative temperature TO is calculated as
hc ⋅ Ta + hr ⋅ Tr
T O = ------------------------------------- ,
hc + hr
Shortwave Radiation
The radiation within a space is usually separated into two
(13) groups, longwave and shortwave. As described before, long-
wave radiation is that which occurs between room surfaces,
and both its quantity and wavelength are temperature depen-
dent. Longwave radiation is considered within the calculation
of the space heat flux of the radiant floor.
The transfer of shortwave radiation within a room does
not depend on the temperature of surfaces. Sources of short-
wave radiation are high-temperature surfaces such as the sun
and electric lights. Shortwave radiation on a surface will either
be absorbed or reflected from the surface or transmitted
through any glazed surface.
The shortwave radiation to the floor should be considered
when radiant cooled floors are used. Since the shortwave radi-
ation is not temperature dependent, a temperature difference
between the floor surface and the air or the surrounding
surfaces is not necessary for heat transfer to occur. It then
follows that there is no heat exchange coefficient for the
absorbed shortwave radiation.
From Figure 1 it follows from the first law of thermody-
namics that
α+τ+ρ = 1, (16)
where
α = fraction of incident radiation absorbed, or
absorptance,
τ = fraction of incident radiation transmitted, or
transmittance, and
ρ = fraction of incident radiation reflected, or
(14) reflectance.

where
Ta = air temperature in reference point,
Tr = mean radiant temperature in reference point,
hc = convective heat transfer coefficient for the human
body, and
hr = radiant heat transfer coefficient for the human body.

In most practical cases where the relative velocity is small

(< 0.2 m/s, 40 fpm) or where the difference between mean
radiant and air temperature is small (∆T < 4°C, < 7°F) the oper-
ative temperature can be calculated with sufficient approxi-
mation as the mean value of air and mean radiant temperature
(source: ASHRAE Standard-55-2004. Therefore, Equation 14
is simplified to
Ta + Tr
T O = ----------------- . (15)
2

However, if the mean radiant temperature is significantly

lower or higher than the air temperature, the convective and Figure 1 Reflection, absorption, and transmission of
longwave radiant heat fluxes should be calculated separately. shortwave radiation.

4 CH-06-2-3
 The floor surface is opaque, so the transmittance of the
floor surface τ = 0. For a black surface, α = 1, τ = 0, and ρ = 0
means that all shortwave radiation reaching the surface will be
absorbed by the black surface. For most surfaces, absorptance
for shortwave radiation is different from emittance for long-
wave radiation (low-temperature radiation). No surface is
considered to be completely black, so α < 1 and ρ > 0 for all
radiant floor surfaces. Table 2 provides an example of absorp-
tion values for common materials and surfaces.
Solar Radiation
The amount of shortwave solar radiation entering a room
depends upon the orientation of the window, the properties of
the glazing, the shading devices, the month, and the time of
day. The calculation of the shortwave direct sun transmission
through the window may be completed with currently avail-
able computer programs such as E + TA (ROOM) and the
amount entering the floor surface may be estimated, depen-
dent on the percentage of furniture or equipment standing on
the floor area.
The specific sun radiation to the floor surface is the direct
sun transmission through the window on the floor per radiated
floor area.
Q directsun
q s, rad = α ⋅ ------------------------
Af
where
qs,rad = specific shortwave sun radiation per m2 radiated
floor surface (W/m2),
Qdirectsun = sun radiation through the window on the floor (W),
2 Floor areas with significant covering on the floor surface,
Af = radiated floor area (m ), and
α = absorptance of the floor surface.
Electrical Light Radiation
Shortwave radiation from electrical light sources is not
usually taken into consideration for radiant floor calculations;
however, shortwave radiation from electrical light sources can
Table 2. Absorption of Solar Radiation
(ASHRAE 1996)
Absorption for
Surfaces
Solar Radiation
Black nonmetallic surfaces such as asphalt,
carbon, slate, paint, paper
Red brick and tile, concrete and stone, dark
paints
Tile or plaster, white or light cream
Red tile, stone, or concrete, dark paints (red,
brown, green,..)
White painted surfaces
CH-06-2-3
be treated in the same manner as shortwave radiation from the
sun.
The consideration of the shortwave light radiation may
optimize the radiant floor cooling system and should be
considered if reliable values of the heat flux of the proposed
lighting are known.
The specific shortwave light radiation to the floor surface
is
Q s, light
q el, rad = α ⋅ ------------------ , (18)
Af
where
qel,rad = specific shortwave radiation emitted by electrical
light per m2 radiated floor surface (W/m2),
Qs,light = shortwave electrical light radiation (W),
Af = radiated floor area (m2), and
α = absorptance of the floor surface.
Floor Surface Temperature
According to ASHRAE Standard 55-2004 (ASHRAE
2004), the surface temperature of the floor for people wearing
typical indoor footwear shall be between 18°C (65°F) and
29°C (84°F) to minimize foot discomfort. For floors that
people occupy with bare feet, the floor temperature will
(17) depend on the type of floor material (see ASHRAE 2001).
ASHRAE Standard 55 recommends that a minimum floor
surface temperature of 19°C (67°F) be used because of
temperature differences between the floor surface and occu-
pants.
Floor Area Covering
such as furniture, equipment, etc., have to be considered. The
covered areas, as well as areas not provided with radiant floor
cooling tubes, do not contribute to the cooling capacity of the
radiant floor. For example, if 10% of the floor is covered, only
90% of the floor may be considered for the total cooling capac-
ity.
Radiant Floor Cooling
The specific heat flux between the floor surface and the
space, calculated by combining Equation 12 with Equations
17 and 18, gives
q c = h c, tot ⋅ ( t o – t s ) + q s, rad , (19)
0.85…0.98
where
0.65…0.80 qc = specific heat flux between floor surface and space
(W/m2),
0.30 … 0.50 hs,tot = 6.5 W/m2⋅K, heat exchange coefficient,
to = operative temperature (°C),
0.65 … 0.80
tf = floor surface temperature (°C), and
qs,rad = absorbed shortwave radiation (W/m2) emitted by
0.23 … 0.49
both sun and electrical light.
5
 Using the minimum recommended floor surface temper-
ature and a summer indoor design operative temperature of
26°C (78.8°F) and no absorbed shortwave radiation, the maxi-
mum space cooling capacity of the radiant floor is found by
q c, s = h c, tot ⋅ ( t o – t s, min )
W W
q c, s = 6.5 -----------
2
⋅ ( 26 – 19 )K = 45.5 ------2-
m K m (20)
Btu
q c, s = 14.5 --------2- .
hft
The maximum space cooling capacity of a radiant floor
cooling system can be assumed to be 45 W/m2(14.3 [Btu/h] ft2)
when an operative design temperature of 26°C (78.8°F) is used.
In floor areas with absorption of shortwave radiation, the cool-
ing capacity of radiant cooled floors, as shown by Simmonds
et al. (2000) and Borressen (1994), can be approximately as
high as 80 W/m2 (25.4 [Btu/h]/ft2). The capacity is also depen-
dent on the floor construction as well as the water temperatures,
described in detail in the following sections. If the floor
construction, including the floor covering, shows a high ther-
mal resistance (heavy carpet, etc.), the space cooling capacity
may be lower as calculated.
If shortwave absorption through the floor is higher than
the steady cooling capacity of the floor, not all of the absorbed
energy is removed from the floor, raising the surface temper-
ature of the floor. The increase in floor temperature will
decrease the ability of the radiant cooled floor to absorb long-
wave radiation; this is dependant on the temperature differ-
ence between the floor and the surrounding surfaces and may
result in the floor emitting longwave radiation back into the
space and to the surrounding surfaces.
SELECTION GUIDE FOR
RADIANT FLOOR COOLING SYSTEM
Floor Covering
The floor covering and floor construction have a signifi-
cant influence on the radiant floor system, especially for floor
cooling. With increasing thermal resistance of the floor cover-
ing (carpet instead of tile) as well as the floor construction
above the tubes, the cooling capacity decreases if the entering
water temperature (EWT) is kept constant. If carpet is used,
the resistance of the carpet should be as low as possible and
should be specified in advance. A higher resistance as calcu-
lated may cause a lower cooling capacity of the radiant floor
system.
Dew Point
The floor surface temperature of the radiant floor is lower
than the air temperature in the space. Therefore, if the surface
temperature of the floor falls below the space air dew point at
any area, water condenses out of the air and the floor becomes
wet. The floor surface temperature is dependent on the water
temperature at the specific area, the cooling load of this area,
6 CH-06-2-3
and the distance between the tubes within the floor construc-
tion. Because of the distance between the tubes, the floor
surface temperature is not constant. It is recommended to
select a minimal EWT equal to the supposed maximal dew-
point temperature to avoid condensation on the floor surface
and to guarantee the selected cooling capacity of the radiant
system. In addition, the EWT should be controlled by a humid-
ity control sensor.
If for any reason an EWT below the space dew point is
selected, the minimal possible surface temperature of the floor
in areas with reduced loads must be calculated carefully.
Example. If the indoor air is controlled at a dry- bulb
temperature of 24°C (75°F) and a relative humidity
of 50%, the suggested dew point is approximately
13°C (55.4°F). Therefore, a minimal EWT of 13°C
(55.4°F) may be selected.
The combination of the radiant floor cooling system with
a natural ventilation concept requires an accurate calculation
of the maximum dew points within the space, considering the
outdoor air conditions as well as the latent loads of the space.
Entering Water Temperature (EWT)
The EWT is a function of many aspects and decreases
with increasing thermal resistance of the floor construction.
Increasing the water temperature difference between the EWT
and leaving water temperature (LWT) increases the cooling
capacity of the floor and increases the acceptable distance
between the water tubes.
It is recommended, as a first iteration, to select an EWT
equal to the dew-point temperature of the space air, but usually
not below 13°C (55.4°F). The water temperature difference
between the EWT and LWT may be selected as 5 K. With this
fixed value and the given floor construction, it is possible to
calculate the maximum cooling capacity of the radiant floor
system.
If necessary, the EWT, the temperature difference
between the EWT and LWT, as well as the tube distance can
be changed to achieve maximum performance of the system.
Recommended temperature levels of the hydronic floor
cooling system are listed in Table 3.
ASHRAE Handbook—Fundamentals (ASHRAE 1996)
uses the mean water temperature (MWT), which is defined as
t LWT + t EWT
t mwt = ------------------------------ , (21)
2
where
tmwt = mean water temperature, °C,
tEWT = entering water temperature, °C, and
tLWT = leaving water temperature, °C.
Table 3. Recommended EWT
and Temperature Differentials
EWT 13°C to 15°C (55.4°F to 59°F)
∆T 3°C to 6°C (5°F to 10.8°F)
Downward Losses the floor to the cooled water in the pipe will be described fully
in subsequent papers.
The downward losses may be significant if there is no
The steady-state relationship between the space air
insulation, thus increasing the thermal resistance to the space
temperature, the floor surface temperature, and the water
below the floor. The heat exchange coefficient of a cooled
supply and return temperatures was determined by applying
floor to the space below, given by the Chartered Institution of
the steady-state equations described at the beginning of this
Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), is approximately 10.5
paper.
W/m2K (1.84 Btu/h⋅ft2⋅°F). Compared to the heat exchange
For each load condition, two control strategies have been
coefficient of the radiant floor, 6.5 W/m⋅2K (1.14 Btu/
considered: constant-volume flow varying the EWT and vari-
h⋅ft2⋅°F), the value downward is significantly higher. Also, the
able-volume flow with a constant EWT.
space air temperature at the ceiling (for example, within a false
ceiling) may be higher than the air at the floor level. Constant Volume, Variable
Entering Water Temperature (EWT)
CONTROL STRATEGIES OF
RADIANT COOLED FLOORS By maintaining a constant-volume flow rate through the
radiant loop, it is possible to maintain the surface temperature
A successful control strategy for maintaining the perfor- at a constant 68°F (20°C) by varying the EWT. The radiant
mance of a radiant cooled floor is critical to achieving comfort floor pump can be provided with a single-speed motor, and the
criteria and ensuring that surface temperatures do not drop floor surface temperature can be monitored by a surface-
below acceptable levels (20°C, 68°F). mounted temperature sensor. As the space specific load and/
The performance of the radiant floor at varying load or shortwave load decreases, the surface temperature will
conditions was determined under two control methods by begin to decrease; the surface temperature can be maintained
utilizing the simplified calculation method and the space heat by allowing the EWT to increase. Figure 2 shows a plot of the
exchange coefficient described in this paper.
It is acknowledged that there will be some time delay
associated with control of the radiant floor, which is not
directly addressed in this paper. The intent of this section is to
show the overall effect of different control strategies, and addi-
tional work will be required to investigate the time responses
of each system with a dynamic model.
The performance of the radiant floor was determined for
the load conditions listed in Tables 4 and 5.

Radiant Floor Model

The radiant floor being used for discussion purposes has
22 mm (3/4 in.) of Pex pipe submerged in 4 in. (100 mm) of
concrete at 4 in. (100 mm) on center. The cooling energy from
the cooled water at 13°C (53°F) flowing through the pipe
maintains a surface temperature of 19°C (68°F) and at the
same time absorbs thermal energy from the solar radiation.
The dynamic transfer of energy from solar radiation through Figure 2 Constant flow, variable EWT control strategy.

Table 4.

Specific space load

12 Btu/h ft2 12 Btu/h ft2 12 Btu/h ft2 12 Btu/h ft2 12 Btu/h ft2 12 Btu/h ft2 12 Btu/h ft2
(convective + longwave
(388 W/m2) (38 W/m2) (38 W/m2) (38 W/m2) (38 W/m2) (38 W/m2) (38 W/m2)
radiation load)
7 Btu/h ft2 6 Btu/h ft2 5 Btu/h ft2 4 Btu/h ft2 3 Btu/h ft2 2 Btu/h ft2 1 Btu/h ft2
Shortwave radiation load
(22 W/m2) (19 W/m2) (16 W/m2) (13 W/m2) (10 W/m2) (6.3 W/m2) (3.2 W/m2)

Table 5.

Specific space load

12 Btu/h ft2 11 Btu/h ft2 10 Btu/h ft2 9 Btu/h ft2 8 Btu/h ft2 7 Btu/h ft2
(convective + longwave
(38 W/m2) (35 W/m2) (32 W/m2) (28 W/m2) (25 W/m2) (22 W/m2)
radiation load)

Shortwave radiation load 0 Btu/h ft2 0 Btu/h ft2 0 Btu/h ft2 0 Btu/h ft2 0 Btu/h ft2 0 Btu/h ft2

CH-06-2-3 7
surface temperature, EWT, and LWT at varying load condi-
tions under this control strategy.
As expected, as the space load decreases, so does the delta
between the EWT and the LWT.
Variable Volume, Constant
Entering Water Temperature (EWT)
Alternatively, it is possible to vary the volume flow rate
through the radiant loop while maintaining a constant EWT.
This control strategy can be more difficult and costly to imple-
ment in practice, as it requires a variable-speed motor and
controls for a very small motor. It would still be possible to
track the volume flow rate against the surface temperature and
adjust the flow as the specific space load changed. Figure 3
shows a plot of the surface temperature, EWT, and LWT at
varying load conditions under this control strategy.
Figure 3 Variable flow, constant EWT control strategy.
Figure 4 Radiant cooled floor performance without a
control strategy.
8 CH-06-2-3
Again as expected, the delta between the EWT and LWT
decreases with the space load. Compared with the control
strategy shown in Figure 2, the delta for the minimum operat-
ing point of a variable-volume control strategy is considerably
higher than with a constant volume, variable EWT strategy—
17°F (8.9°C) and 6°F (3.3°C), respectively. It is also worth
noting that the minimum operating point is considerably less
than 30% of the maximum, the typical lower threshold of vari-
able-speed motors.
Figure 4 shows the performance of the radiant floor in the
absence of control under constant volume, constant EWT
conditions. The figure indicates that as the space load
increases, the surface temperature rises several degrees, reduc-
ing the convective and longwave performance, both of which
are temperature dependant. Conversely, as the space load
decreases, the temperature of the flow drops below the desired
68°F (20°C), and issues with comfort and condensation may
arise.
RESULTS
Figure 5 shows the results of various floor surface temper-
atures used in this analysis. The floor surface temperatures
were influenced by changing the entering water temperature
with a constant flow rate (see Figure 2). For a space condi-
tioned with an all-air system, the resulting floor surface
temperature is more than 88°F (31°C). This is mainly due to
shortwave radiation heating the floor and then being re-emit-
ted as longwave radiation to the space.
The remaining results show the surface temperature of the
floor held constant by using a radiant cooled floor. Each of
these floor surface temperatures are used for subsequent anal-
ysis shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8.
Figure 6 shows the resulting mean radiant temperatures
(MRTs) in the space as the floor surface temperatures are
varied. The MRT for the space conditioned with an all-air
Figure 5 Floor surface temperatures.
system is nearly 92°F (33.3°C); all the alternatives with radi-
ant cooled floors have space MRTs of 82°F (27.8°C) or lower.
As the MRT approaches the space air temperature, the comfort
conditions will be improved.
With the all-air system, the direct shortwave radiation
entering into the space is absorbed by the floor and retrans-
mitted back into the space as longwave radiation. The long-
wave radiant heat transfer between the floor and the
surrounding room surfaces increases the overall MRT of the
space, further increasing the MRT. By implementing a radiant
cooled floor, the surface temperature of the floor is held nearly
constant even though direct shortwave radiation is being
absorbed.
By absorbing the shortwave radiation and not emitting
longwave radiation, the radiant cooled floor reduces the MRT
of the space, as seen in Figure 6; comfort levels will also
improve as the MRT approaches the space air temperature.
Figure 7 shows the dry resultant temperatures, known as
the operative temperature (see Equation 15), for each of the
Figure 6 Mean radiant temperature.
Figure 7 Dry resultant temperatures.
CH-06-2-3
alternatives. The reduction in the dry resultant temperature
from the all-air system to the radiant cooled floor alternatives
provides an indication of how significantly a reduction in the
MRT (Figure 6) can affect the overall space conditions. A
system without a radiant floor has a dry resultant temperature
higher than 88°F (31.1°C), but the radiant floor alternatives all
have dry resultant temperatures of 82°F (27.7°C) or lower. The
lower dry resultant temperatures in the space provide an indi-
cation of how the overall comfort conditions can be improved
in a space as a result of using a radiant cooled floor.
Figure 8 shows the total sensible gains to the space, which
are a maximum of 32 (Btu/h)/ft2. The radiant floor analyzed in
this paper has a total capacity of 19 (Btu/h)/ft2 with the other
13 (Btu/h)/ft2 cooled by the ventilation air.
Figure 9 shows the solar load to the space for all the
alternatives; as the radiant floor can absorb a maximum of
7 Btuh/ft2 of this shortwave radiation, only slightly more
than 2 (Btu/h)/ft2 will add heat to the space.
Figure 8 Total internal sensible gains.
Figure 9 Internal solar gains.
9
CONCLUSIONS
The control strategies for the radiant floor produce the
required conditioning effect to the space and at the same time
are capable of absorbing shortwave radiation and preventing
this from being emitted back into the space as longwave radi-
ation, increasing the space temperature. The results of the anal-
ysis clearly show that the flow rate though the radiant floor can
be maintained at a constant flow rate and the supply tempera-
ture varied to meet the varying load. The total cooling capabil-
ities of a cooled radiant floor are on the order of 19 (Btu/h)/ft2
(60 W/m2) rather than the 12 (Btu/h)/ft2 (35 W/m2) usually
considered for convection-only cooling from radiant floors.
The next step will be to verify the surface heat transfer coeffi-
cients from the floor surface to the space to enhance the accu-
racy of the results. The performance of the radiant floor for this
application can be used to design radiant cooled floors when
absorbing solar radiation and to evaluate the control strategies
for such a design.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This paper describes a steady-state analysis of a radiant
cooled floor and the authors recognize that there are several
dynamic simulation programs and routines available that
accomplish a dynamic analysis of radiant cooled floors.
Dynamic routines have been derived by Dr. Richard Strand of
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the
ROOM program developed by OASYS.
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