Abstract:

The use of radiant floor systems for heating and cooling houses is becoming more frequent. These systems should be designed to maintain the indoor condition within the comfort range, to prevent discomfort when contacting floor surfaces of uneven temperature distribution, and to prevent skin burn and unwanted deformation of materials.

In this study it is explained the methodology to properly design a radiant floor system by the use of a spreadsheet that has been developed. The methodology has been applied to a case of study to facilitate their understanding. The learning experience discussed in this work has been developed within the context of the subject 'Industrial thermal installations' given in the fourth year of the degree of Mechanical Engineering in the second half of 2014/15.

Results showed that by changing the input parameters in the spreadsheet developed, a new radiant floor system may easily be calculated.

Keywords:

Radiant floor, engineering education, spreadsheets.