Chilled beams are a cost-effective heating and cooling system for larger buildings. They use a heat exchanger attached to the ceiling with pipes carrying hot or cold water. Chilled beams come in active or passive forms and are different from chilled ceilings. They are energy-efficient, quiet, and low maintenance, but not suitable for rooms with high humidity or ceilings higher than 8m.
A chilled beam is a heating and cooling system created for larger buildings. The chilled beam system has a heat exchanger, also known as a beam, which is attached to the ceiling and contains a series of pipes. The water flowing through these pipes is either hot or cold, depending on whether the space is being heated or cooled. For example, when the beam is cooled by cold water in the pipes, the air around the pipes cools and sinks down towards the floor. Heating works on similar principles.
Chilled beams come in two forms: an active beam or a passive beam. The difference between the beams is the mechanism used to heat or cool the unit. Also, chilled beams are different from the chilled ceiling system. The chilled beam relies on the beam itself as the delivery system and the chilled ceiling relies on metal plates installed in the ceiling to transmit heat or cold, with the actual pipes behind these plates. This system makes the chilled ceiling less effective in heating or cooling a space, because the beam in a chilled beam system is effectively exposed.
The chilled beam is a good way to contain costs. A system that draws in air and cools or heats it, then moves the heated or cooled air outside into the room uses more energy than a chilled beam system. Chilled beams do not create noise, do not require much space and do not require intensive maintenance.
However, chilled beam systems have their drawbacks. Rooms containing ceilings higher than 8m (2.4ft) cannot use a chilled beam system, because the air will not circulate adequately, making the system ineffective. It is also recommended not to locate chilled beam systems in rooms or environments that contain high levels of humidity. When moisture comes into contact with the beam, condensation may form. When this occurs, droplets will form on the surface of the pipe and fall, causing damage to the floor or objects on which the water drips.
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