The effect of air velocity on the performance of the direct evaporative cooling system

This experimental study aimed to determine the effect of airflow velocity on the performance of a direct evaporative cooling system. Rectangular-shaped honeycomb cooling pads with a length of 34 cm, a width of 25 cm, and a thickness of 3.5 cm are used as cooling media. The main parameters of the study are low air velocity (2.3 ms−1), medium (3.2 ms−1), and high velocity (3.7 ms−1). The data collected include dry bulb temperature, wet bulb temperature, output air temperature, input and output air velocity, input and output humidity, and solar radiation. These data are used to determine saturation efficiency, cooling capacity, temperature decreases, and feasibility index. The experimental results are presented in the form of tables and graphs and analysed based on existing theories. The results showed that the evaporative cooling system could produce output temperatures up to 27.5°C with input 31.4°C at low airspeed, 27.97°C with input 31.47oC at medium speed, and 27.7°C with input 31.30°C at high air speed. It was concluded that a low airflow rate would add to the cooling efficiency, and the higher the airflow rate, the lower the cooling efficiency. The results showed that evaporative cooling is achievable with a feasibility index of 19.89 ≤ F*≤ 20.67. The results also affirmed that cooling capability is higher where the feasibility indexes are comparatively low.

Passive evaporative cooling through water-filled bricks: a preliminary investigation

Direct evaporative cooling is widely known to be an energy efficient air-conditioning option for arid and semi-arid climates. However, care must be taken on humidity ranges achieved indoors. Existing literature presents several options for integrating evaporative cooling within buildings for passive cooling applications. This work aims at expanding the current knowledge by focusing on the use of water-filled hollow bricks to implement evaporative cooling of air in contact with the brick’s surfaces. A prototype is built and experimentally characterized under controlled air velocity, air temperature and relative humidity conditions. Results on the psychrometric conditions achieved under different geometric arrangements (i.e., with one, two or three rows of four bricks each) are presented and discussed. Insights on likely building integration of the system for passive cooling purposes in farms and agriculture applications are eventually given.

Evaporative Cooling Integrated with Solid Desiccant Systems: A Review

Evaporative cooling technology (ECT) has been deemed as an alternative to the conventional vapor-compression air conditioning system for dry climates in recent years due to its simple structure and low operating cost. Generally speaking, the ECT includes two types of different technologies, direct evaporative cooling (DEC) and indirect evaporative cooling (IEC). Both technologies can theoretically reduce the air temperature to the wet-bulb temperature of outdoor air. The major difference between these two technologies is that DEC will introduce extra moisture to the supply air while IEC will not. The enhanced IEC, Maisotsenko-cycle (M-cyle) IEC, can even bring down the air temperature to the dew point temperature. The ECT integrated with solid desiccant systems, i.e., solid desiccant-assisted evaporative cooling technologies (SDECT), could make the technology applicable to a wider range of weather conditions, e.g., weather with high humidity. In this paper, the recent development of various evaporative cooling technologies (ECT), solid desiccant material and the integration of these two technologies, the SDECT, were thoroughly reviewed with respect to their configuration, optimization and desiccant unit improvement. Furthermore, modeling techniques for simulating SDECT with their pros and cons were also reviewed. Potential opportunities and research recommendations were indicated, which include improving the structure and material of M-cycle IEC, developing novel desiccant material and optimizing configuration, water consumption rate and operation strategy of SDECT system. This review paper indicated that the SDECT system could be a potential replacement for the conventional vapor-compressed cooling system and could be applied in hot and humid environments with proper arrangements.

Feasibility of Reducing Electricity Consumption of Air Conditioning Equipment by Condenser Direct Evaporative Cooling Technology. Example of Case Study in Dubai

The use of air conditioning technology is accompanied by an increase in electricity consumption, which is linked to an intensification of fossil fuel extraction. This in turn calls for developing cooling solutions of higher energy efficiency. The aim of this study is to examine energy consumption reduction of direct evaporative cooling technology for generating cool air in hot-dry climate regions. At the initial stage, already-installed air cooling equipment with a direct evaporative cooling system was studied for the creation of two regression models of electricity consumption representing the “on” and “off” sequences. Water consumption for system operation was taken into consideration. In the following stage, inlet water temperature dependence for pre-cooling purposes for the direct evaporative cooling system was studied. A mathematical model was developed and the subsequent calculations suggested that there is no need to pre-cool water before it enters the system and therefore consume additional energy. Practical application of this study is evaluated based on the case study in Dubai. The results of this study present significant energy saving potential for system operations of the direct evaporative cooling system of approximately 122 MWh per year. The return on investment for the equipment with direct evaporative cooling in case of an office building in Dubai featuring a hot desert climate is around 4.2 years. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential advantage of air cooling equipment with direct evaporative cooling technology compared to cooling equipment without this technology. The results provide the expediency of conducting further research in this area, in particular with regards to analyzing various materials for the adiabatic precooling pads, as well as the possibility of using a newly developed metal precooling pad.

Designing, Modelling And Experimental Investigation Of Direct Evaporative Cooling System Coupled With Commercial Desiccant Dehumidifier

With the rising demand of clean and energy efficient air conditioning systems, evaporative air cooling technique is gaining significant attention owing to less energy consumption and environmentally safe technology in comparison with conventional refrigerants based air conditioners. In this study, commercial desiccant dehumidifier is coupled with experimentally developed Direct Evaporative Cooling (DEC) system in order to first dehumidify the air, and then pass it through DEC to achieve human thermal comfort level defined by ASHRAE standards. Under the climatic conditions of Islamabad-Pakistan, multiple experiments were carried out at different temperatures, flow rate and relative humidity of air during November, when air temperature and relative humidity was in the range of 25-30°C and 40%-60%, respectively. In order to analyze the system performance under summer ambient conditions, indoor temperature was increased by 8-10°C and relative humidity by 15%-25% in laboratory. Experimental analysis showed that the system can provide human comfort level for a range of temperature 29-39.7°C and relative humidity of 65-80% at flow rate of 180 m3/hr. In order to achieve thermal comfort at higher humidity level, DEC is coupled with commercial desiccant dehumidifier. However, due to desiccant regeneration by an electric heater in the dehumidifier, the overall power consumption of the whole system rises up to 1.95 kW. Two well-known indices Coefficient of Performance (CoP) and Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) are used to analyze the system performance.

Experimental Investigation of a Split Air Conditioning Using Condensate as Direct Evaporative Cooling

Split air conditioning systems produce reasonable amount of condensate which is usually not utilized and thrown away to the environment. On the other hand, it consumes a lot of energy during operation. The aim of this study is to investigate the improvement of air conditioning systems performance utilizing condensate. A direct evaporative cooling using condensate is incorporated on a 0.74 ton-cooling capacity of split air conditioning to decrease the air temperature before entering the condenser. Performances of the split air conditioning with and without direct evaporative cooling are compared and presented in this paper. The results show that the use of direct evaporative cooling using condensate into the air before passing through the condenser reduces the compressor discharge pressure. The decrease of the condenser pressure led to 4.7% and 7% reduction of power consumption for air conditioner without cooling load and air conditioner with 2000 W cooling load, respectively. The cooling effect and coefficient of performance (COP) increase with the decrease of compressor power. The use of direct evaporative cooling with condensate into the air before entering the condensing system can enhance the system performance and protect the environment.