Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Thursday August 20 2020, @10:00AM   Printer-friendly
from the take-my-money dept.

This 'Cold Tube' can beat the summer heat without relying on air conditioning:

"Air conditioners work by cooling down and dehumidifying the air around us—an expensive and not particularly environmentally friendly proposition," explains project co-lead Adam Rysanek, assistant professor of environmental systems at UBC's school of architecture and landscape architecture, whose work focuses on future energy systems and green buildings. "The Cold Tube works by absorbing the heat directly emitted by radiation from a person without having to cool the air passing over their skin. This achieves a significant amount of energy savings."

The Cold Tube is a system of rectangular wall or ceiling panels that are kept cold by chilled water circulating within them. Since heat naturally moves by radiation from a hotter surface to a colder surface, when a person stands beside or under the panel, their body heat radiates towards the colder panel. This creates a sensation of cooling like cold air flowing over the body even if the air temperature is quite high.

Although these types of cooling panels have been used in the building industry for several decades, what makes the Cold Tube unique is that it does not need to be combined with a dehumidification system. Just as a cold glass of lemonade would condense water on a hot summer day, cooling down walls and ceilings in buildings would also condense water without first drying out the air around the panels. The researchers behind the Cold Tube conceived of an airtight, humidity-repelling membrane to encase the chilled panels to prevent condensation from forming while still allowing radiation to travel through.

A new cooling system for your home?


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday August 21 2020, @04:13PM (1 child)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday August 21 2020, @04:13PM (#1039952)

    In a home you could probably control the mold better - my entire high school was air conditioned using a chilled water system, no opening windows anywhere, about 2 acres of flat roof. I had chronic bronchitis for 4 years, only cleared up in the summer months, and when I went to college it disappeared permanently.

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Saturday August 22 2020, @01:18AM

    by RS3 (6367) on Saturday August 22 2020, @01:18AM (#1040211)

    Legionella...