Aug 21, 2020 15:00:00

A 'cold tube' that keeps the room cool without using an air conditioner is developed

It has become essential to operate the air conditioner not only to keep it cool but also to maintain good health, but if the air conditioner continues to operate, electricity costs will be high, the body will be too cold, and the impact on the environment will be a concern. Something that becomes. Therefore, scientists have developed a new air-cooling system called ' cold tube ' that functions by 'absorbing the heat emitted by humans' rather than 'cooling the air that touches the skin.'

This'Cold Tube' can beat the summer heat without relying on air conditioning
https://news.ubc.ca/2020/08/18/researchers-design-a-new-way-to-stay-cool-in-the-summer/

Membrane-assisted radiant cooling for expanding thermal comfort zones globally without air conditioning | PNAS
https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/08/17/2001678117

Cold tubes are panel systems that are installed on walls and ceilings and keep water cool by circulating water inside the panels. Because heat has the property of moving from a hot surface to a cold surface by radiation, when a person stands under the panel, the heat of the skin transfers to the panel. With this mechanism, the cold tube can get the feeling that cold air is around the body without using an air conditioner.

Such systems have been used industrially for decades, but the point is that cold tubes do not require a dehumidification system. Just as a glass of cold ice coffee is placed in a hot place and water drops on the surface of the glass, air-cooling systems like cold tubes have traditionally required dehumidification systems to eliminate the water they generate. However, the newly developed cold tube solves the problem of the dehumidification system by the sealed moisture-proof film that wraps the cooling panel, which prevents the formation of dew condensation while transmitting heat radiation.

The project was attended by researchers from the University of British Columbia, Princeton University, UC Berkeley, and Singapore ETH Center.

The research team built a cold tube home in Singapore in 2019 and received feedback from 55 residents. When the cold tube was in operation, many residents reported that they were 'comfortable' and 'cool' even when the average temperature was 30 degrees Celsius.

Below is a building using cold tubes.

The blue panel attached to the wall or ceiling inside the room is the cold tube.

Cold tubes, which do not require a dehumidification system, are expected to reduce up to 50% of typical air conditioning energy consumption. Eric Teitelbaum, a senior engineer at AIL Research who visited the project, commented that cold tubes can be used in many places such as summer event venues, concert venues, bus stops, and public facilities. Normally, it is assumed that not only cold tubes are used in such facilities, but they are also used together with an air conditioner to reduce energy consumption.

On the other hand, since the cold tube functions regardless of the temperature and humidity inside the room, it may be possible to spend the summer without opening the air conditioner and just by opening the window.In particular, the need for an air cooling system in the future due to rising temperatures It is expected to be used in developing countries, which will be under pressure. In addition, the new coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) epidemic requires 'keeping the room air-cooled' as well as 'well-ventilating', so demand for systems such as cold tubes is increasing. It can be said that