Diffuse ceiling ventilation: Air distribution and thermal comfort

Diffuse ceiling ventilation is an innovative ventilation concept where the suspended ceiling serves as air diffuser to supply fresh air into the room. Compared with conventional ventilation systems, diffuse ceiling ventilation can significantly reduce or even eliminate draught risk due to the low momentum supply. In addition, this ventilation system uses a ceiling plenum to deliver air and requires less energy consumption for air transport than full-ducted systems. There is a growing interest in applying diffuse ceiling ventilation in offices and other commercial buildings due to the benefits from both thermal comfort and energy efficient aspects.

The present study aims to characterize the air distribution and thermal comfort in the rooms with diffuse ceiling ventilation. Both the stand-alone ventilation system and its integration with a radiant ceiling system are investigated. This study also presents the development and validation of a numerical model for predicting the airflow pattern and thermal behavior in the room with diffuse ceiling ventilation. The validated model is further used to investigate the effect of different design parameters on the system performance.