9/29/2016 EvaporativeCooling(EnergyEngineering)

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EvaporativeCooling(EnergyEngineering)

Abstract
Thisreportdiscussestheprinciplesofevaporativecoolingandprovidesanoverviewofthedifferenttypesofsystemscurrentlyonthemarket.Itincludes
diagrams,systemcomparisonsandadiscussionofmarketbarriersfordirectevaporativecoolers,indirectdirectevaporativecoolers(IDECs)andthe
CooleradoCooler.

INTRODUCTION
ItisanothersizzlingsummerdayinAmerica.Radioandtelevisionnewsweatherforecasterswearilypredicthightemperaturesofover100Fallweek
long.Electricutilitiesallacrossthenationurgepeopletoconserveelectricity.Electricitydemandandpricessoarasairconditionersstruggletokeeppeople
comfortable.Althoughtheenergycrisisof2001maybeover,theneedforhighefficiencyairconditioningsystemsremainsstrongerthanever.Thisreport
discussestheprinciplesofevaporativecoolingandprovidesanoverviewofthedifferenttypesofsystemscurrentlyonthemarket.

PRINCIPLESOFEVAPORATIVECOOLING
Whenaircomesintocontactwithwater,someofthewaterevaporates.Thishappensbecausethetemperatureandthevaporpressureofthewaterandthe
airattempttoequalize.Asthewatermoleculesbecomeagas(evaporate),theyabsorbheatfromthesurroundingairandloweritstemperature.Theheatis
stillpresent,however,ithasjustbeencapturedintheformofwatervaporwithintheair(humidity).Thisphenomenaisknownasadiabaticcoolingandis
foundthroughoutNaturelakes,rivers,oceans,andanywherethereiswater.Todaypeopleuseevaporativecoolingsystemsforawidevarietyofpurposes
comfortcooling,manufacturingprocesses,andotherapplications.

Somecoolterms

Drybulbtemperature:Temperatureofairindependentofitsmoisturecontent.Itmaybemeasuredbyusingcommonthermometers.

Wetbulbtemperature:Thelowesttheoreticaltemperatureachievablebyevaporatingwaterinaquantityofairatagivendrybulbtemperatureandhumidity
level,usingonlytheheatwithintheair.Itismeasuredbyplacingamoistpieceoffabricoverthethermometerandblowingairacrossit.Theairevaporates
thewater,loweringthetemperatureonthethermometertothewetbulbtemperature1.

Absolutehumidity:Theamountofwatervaporpresentinair.

Relativehumidity:Theamountofwatervaporpresentinaircomparedtothemaximumamountitcouldhold.

Directevaporativecooler:Systeminwhichtheaircomesintodirectcontactwithwettedpadsbeforeenteringtheconditionedspace.Commonlycalled
swampcoolers.

Indirectdirectevaporativecooler(IDEC):Systemthatusesacombinationofdirectevaporativecoolingandanindirectevaporativeheatexchanger.
Commonlycalledtwostageevaporativecoolers.

Theeffectivenessofevaporativecoolingdependsgreatlyuponthehumidityoramountofwatervaporintheair.Simplyput,thedriertheair,themore
effectiveevaporativecoolingwillbe.Airconditioningtechniciansoftenuseaspecialthermometerknownasaslingpsychrometertodeterminehowmuch
watervaporispresentintheair.Essentially,thismeasurementinvolvesplacingawetcloth(wick)onathermometerandspinningthepsychrometeruntilthe
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waterhasevaporatedandrecordingthelowesttemperatureobtained.Thismeasurementisknownasthewetbulbtemperature.Whatisimportantto
understandaboutwetbulbtemperatureisthatittellsuswhatthetheoreticallowestsupplyairtemperaturefordirectevaporativecoolerswillbe.Forexample,
standarddesignconditionsforsizingresidentialcoolingsystemsinSacramento,Californiaare:

Outsideair(a.k.a.drybulb)temperature:100F

Wetbulbtemperature:70F(relativehumidity23%)

Desiredindoortemperature:78F.

Fig.1Supplyairtemperaturesdeliveredbydirectevaporativecoolers.

Undertheseconditions,thelowesttheoreticalsupplyairtemperaturethatastandardevaporativecoolercouldprovidewouldbe70F.Realisticallyspeaking,
however,mostdirectevaporativecoolingsystemswouldonlybeabletoachieve78F(Fig.1).Toputthisintoperspective,conventionalrefrigerantbasedair
conditioningsystemsaredesignedtodeliverairattemperaturesofabout55F65F.Atfirstglance,itappearsthatdirectevaporativecoolerswouldnotwork.
Afterall,itisdifficulttocoolahomeusing80Fair.Tomakemattersworse,directevaporativecoolersincreasethehumiditywithinthehousemaking
conditionsevenlesscomfortable.Fortunately,theseshortcomingsaresomewhatmitigatedbywhatisknownaseffectivetemperature.Sinceevaporative
coolersrunatairflowratesthatare35timeshigherthanconventionalairconditioningsystems,theycreateacoolingbreezethatmakestheoccupantsofa
roomfeel46degreescoolerthantheactualtemperature.Forthisreason,theeffectivetemperaturecreatedbyanevaporativecoolerwillfeel46degrees
coolerthanthetemperaturesshowninthechartshowninFig.1.Thischartalsoshowsthedramaticeffectthathumidityhasupontheperformanceof
evaporativecoolingsystems.Forthisreason,directevaporativecoolingsystemsarelimitedtoclimateswithlowrelativehumiditylevels.However,newer
typesofevaporativecoolingsystems,suchastheOASysandtheCooleradoCoolermayhelpsomewhatovercomethislimitation(moreonthislater).

TypesofEvaporativeCoolingSystems
Therearethreebasictypesofevaporativecoolingsystems:directevaporativecoolers(a.k.a.swampcoolers),indirectdirectevaporativecoolers(IDECs),
andtheCooleradoCooler.

DirectEvaporativeCoolingSystems

Indirectevaporativecoolingsystems,a.k.a.swampcoolers,theconditionedaircomesintodirectcontactwiththewaterusedtoproducethecoolingeffect.
Thesesystemsarerelativelysimpleandarewidelyusedtoprovidecomfortcoolingformobilehomes,singlefamilyhousing,andindustrialwarehouses.
Directevaporativecoolingsystemsgenerallycostabouthalfasmuchtoinstallastraditionalvaporcompressionsystemsandconsumeonlyaboutafourthof
theenergy.[1]However,asdiscussedearlier,swampcoolersarelimitedtoclimateswithdryairandproducehighhumiditylevelswithintheconditionedspace
(Fig.2).ThisisaconsiderablemarketbarriersincestudiesconductedbyAmericanSocietyofHeating,Refrigerating,andAirConditioningEngineers
(ASHRAE)andothershaveconsistentlyshownthatmostpeoplepreferlowerhumiditylevels.

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Fig.2Mapshowingclimatezonessuitablefordirectevaporativecoolers.Mapisbaseduponwetbulbtemperaturesat1%designconditions.
Evaporativecoolerswouldworkbestinthedryclimates(areasmarkedA)mayworksomewhatintheareasmarkedB.However,intheeasternparts
ofthecountry,othertypesofairconditionersshouldbeused.

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Fig.3Directevaporativecoolingsystem(fiberpadtype).

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OverviewofOperation(Fig.3)

1.Waterispumpedfromthebasin(bottomoftheunit)anddistributedacrossthetopoftheevaporativecoolingpads.Thesepadsareusuallymadeofwood
shavingsfromaspentreesorotherabsorbentmaterials.Someofthewatersaturatesthepadswhiletherestfallsbackdownintothebasin.

2.Theblowerdrawsoutsideairacrossthefaceoftheevaporativecoolingpads.Whentheaircomesintocontactwiththewettedpads,someofthewater
evaporatesandlowersthedrybulbtemperatureoftheair.

3.Theblowerdeliverscoolmoistairtotheconditionedspace.Sincethisairisveryhumid,itmustultimatelybeexhaustedthroughopenwindowsorrelief
dampers.

4.Theevaporatedwaterisreplacedviaafloatvalveassembly.

5.Whenwaterevaporates,mineralsandotherimpuritiesareleftbehind.Eventuallythewaterwithinthebasinwillbecomesupersaturatedwithmineralsand
scalewillbegintoformonthesurfacesofthecooler.Tohelpaddressthisissue,somewatermustbedrainedoff(viathebleedline)andreplacedwithfresh
water.Modernsystemsaccomplishthisbyperiodicallypurgingthebasinwaterviaatimercontrolledpump.

NotallDirectEvaporativeCoolersareCreatedEqual

Theretwodistincttypesofdirectevaporativecoolers:fiberpadcoolersandrigidsheetpadcoolers.

1.Fiberpadcoolers:(Fig.4)themostcommonlyusedevaporativecoolingsystemsusepadsthataremadefromshreddedaspenwoodfibers(a.k.a.
excelsior)packedwithinaplasticnet.Althoughsyntheticfiberpadsareavailable,theyseldomperformaswellashighqualityaspenpads.Fiberpadsusually
rangefrom1to2in.inthickness.Theyaredisposableandshouldbereplacedevery1or2years.[4]2.Rigidsheetpadcoolers:(Fig.5)thistypeofcooler,
alsoknownasasingleinletcooler,usedtobefoundonlyinlargecommercialapplications,butisnowbecomingmorecommoninresidentialapplications
aswell.Itusesrigidsheetpadsmadefromcorrugatedmaterialthatallowsairtomovethroughathighervelocitiesthanispossiblewithaspenpads.Rigid
sheetpadsareusually8or12in.thickandhaveacorrugationpatternthatforceswatertofloodthepadsairinletsidewheremostoftheevaporationofwater
occurs.Theycanlastformanyyearsifwaterqualityisproperlymaintained(Fig.6).

Fig.4Fiberpadevaporativecoolerwithaspenpads.

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Fig.5Directevaporativecoolerwithrigidsheetpads.

Fig.6Modernevaporativecoolingmediahavetobeefficient,whichmeansthattheymustallowforasmuchcoolingastemperatureconditionsallow
whileminimizingpressuredrop,therebysavingfanpower.Welldesignedmediafiltertheairstreambutarealsoselfcleaninginthatthewater
drippingacrossthemediatothesumpbelowperformsacleaningfunction.Finally,themediashouldbedurableandeasytoreplaceattheendof
theirfunctionallifetime.MasterCoolfromMuntersusesalternatingcorrugatedlayerstoachievetheseends.

Rigidsheetpadcoolersaresubstantiallymoreexpensivethanfiberpadcoolers,butaremuchmoreenergyefficient.Accordingtoafactsheetpublishedby
PacificGasandElectricCompany(PG&E),rigidsheetpadcoolerscandeliverairthatis510degreescoolerthanconventionalaspenpadmediacoolers.[5]
BothPG&EandSouthernCaliforniaEdisonofferedrebatestoresidentialcustomersforqualifyingEnergyEfficientDuctedEvaporativeCoolers(EEDEC)
in2005(Fig.7).

Finally,atleastoneprominentmanufacturer,AdobeAirInc.,offersevaporativemedia(pads)thathavebeentreatedtoresistmicrobialgrowth.Thishelps
preventthegrowthofmicrobesthatcancausestains,odors,andproductdegradation.

EnergyEfficientDuctedEvaporativeCoolers(EEDEC)
EEDECunitsaremoreefficientthanconventionalevaporativecoolersbecauseofthefollowingadvancedfeatures:

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Evaporativemediawhichcomesfrommanufacturers,andiscertifiedwithan85%orhigherevaporationefficiencydeliversairthate5to10degreescooler
thantheairdeliveredbyaconventionalaspenpadmediaevaporativecooler.

MultifunctioncontrolsallowtheEEDECtoalsofunctionasawholehousefan.

Pressurerefefdampers,ifpresent,helpintwoways:1)theyexhaustairtotheoutsidetypicallythroughtheattickeepingtheatticcoolwhichmayreduce
heatgaininthehouse,and2)allowthesystemtooperatewhenthehouseisnotoccupied.

Specialthermostaticcontrolsremotelymountedtothewallandpairedwithpressurereliefdampersallowforoperationoftheunitbasedoncooling
requirementsofthehome.

Awaterqualitymanagementpumpeliminatesoldwaterfromthesystemperiodicallyanduseslesswateroverallthancontinuousbleedsystems.

TheEEDECprovidesfreshairasitcools,using100%outsideairinsteadofrecirculatingtheexistingindoorairaswithconventionalcentralair
conditioning.

Fig.7ExcerptfromatechnicalfactsheetproducedbyPacificGas&ElectricCompany(PG&E).

ChoosingtheRightsizedEvaporativeCooler
Becausedirectevaporativecoolersdonotactuallyremoveheat,theyareratedbyairflowinsteadofcoolingcapacity.AccordingtoPG&E,the
followingformulasmaybeusedtodeterminethepropersizecoolerneededforresidentialapplications151:

Hotdryclimate:floorarea(insquarefeet)X4CFMpersquarefoot(basedupon30airchangesperhourandaceilingheightof8ft)

Averageclimate:floorarea(insquarefeet)X3CFMpersquarefoot(basedupon22.5airchangesperhourandaceilingheightof8ft)

Example:thesizeofanevaporativecoolerneededfora1500squarefoothouseinahotdryclimatewouldbe:1500ft2X4CFM/ft2=6000cfm

AdvantagesofDirectEvaporativeCoolingSystems

Simple,proventechnology:thousandsofunitshavebeensoldandinstalled.

Lowfirstcost:generallycostlessthanhalfofconventionalairconditioningsystems.

Energyefficient:75%energysavingscomparedtoconventionalairconditioners.

Easytooperateandservice:unitsandreplacementpartsarewidelyavailablefrommultiplevendors,includingmanyhomeimprovementstores.

Providesexcellentventilation:uses100%outsideairandmaybeusedinasimilarmannerasawholehousefan(whenoperatedinthefanonlymode).

Disadvantages
Manufacturersmustovercomepoorpublicperceptioncausedbyolder,inferiorequipment.

Doesnotworkwellonhumiddaysorinhumidclimates.

Requiresventingthroughopenwindowsorreliefdampers.

Produceshighhumiditywithinconditionedspace(mostpeoplepreferlowhumiditylevels).

Waterqualityhasamajorimpactuponsystemperformanceandmaintenancerequirements.Hardwaterdeposits(scale)mayclogthemediaandreducethe
airflowacrosstheevaporativecoolingpads(Fig.8).Fortunately,newwaterqualitymanagementcontrolstrategiessuchasperiodicallypurgingthebasin
waterhavesignificantlyreducedproblemswithscale.

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Fig.8Waterqualityhasamajorimpactuponsystemperformanceandmaintenancerequirements.Notethehardwaterdeposits(scale)onthepads
inthelowerphoto.

INDIRECTDIRECTEVAPORATIVECOOLINGSYSTEMS
Asthenameimplies,IDECortwostagesystemsincorporatebothdirectevaporativecoolingandanindirectevaporativeheatexchanger.Unlikedirect
systems,thesupplyairwithintheheatexchangerdoesnotcomeintodirectcontactwiththewater.Sincethisprocessreducestheamountofmoistureaddedto
thesupplyair,IDECsofferincreasedcomfortoverswampcoolers.Indirectdirectevaporativecoolerscostaboutthesametoinstallasconventionalair
conditioningsystems,butarenearlyfourtimesmoreenergyefficient.

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Fig.9Indirectdirectevaporativecooler(IDEC)system.

OverviewofOperation(Fig.9)
1.Waterispumpedfromthebasinanddistributedacrossthetopoftheindirectevaporativeheatexchanger.Thewaterclingstothesurfaceswithinthewet
channelsoftheheatexchangerasittravelsbackdownintothebasin.

2.Theexhaustfandrawsworkingairupthroughthewetchannels.Astheworkingaircomesintocontactwiththewater,someofthewaterevaporatesand
lowersthesurfacetemperatureoftheheatexchanger.Thewarmmoistworkingairisthenexhaustedthroughthetopoftheunit.Theevaporatedwateris
replacedviaafloatvalveassembly.

3.Themainblowerdrawsoutsideair(supplyair)acrossthefaceoftheindirectevaporativeheatexchanger.Whenthesupplyaircomesintocontactwiththe
coolsurfaceoftheheatexchanger,someofitsheatistransferredindirectlyintothewaterviatheheatexchanger.Inotherwords,thesupplyairdoesnotcome
intodirectcontactwiththewater.Afterthesupplyairpassesthroughtheindirectheatexchanger,itcontinuesontothedirectevaporativecoolingsection.

4.Waterispumpedfromthebasinanddistributedacrossthetopoftheevaporativecoolingpads.

Someofthewatersaturatesthepadswhiletherestfallsbackdownintothebasinoftheunit.

5.Themainblowerdrawsthesupplyairacrossthefaceoftheevaporativecoolingpads.Whenthesupplyaircomesintocontactwiththewettedpads,some
ofthewaterevaporatesandlowersitsdrybulbtemperature.

6.Coolmoistairisdeliveredintotheconditionedspace.Sincethisairisrelativelyhumid,itmustbeexhaustedthroughductsoropenwindows.

7.Theevaporatedwaterisreplacedviaafloatvalveassembly.Whenthewaterevaporates,mineralsandotherimpuritiesareleftbehind.Eventuallythewater
withinthebasinwillbecomesupersaturatedwithmineralsandscalewillbegintoformonthesurfacesofthecooler.Tohelpaddressthisissue,somewater
mustbedrainedoff(viathebleedline)andreplacedwithfreshwater.Modernsystemsaccomplishthisbyperiodicallypurgingthebasinwaterviaatimer
controlledpump.

ARoughBeginningForIDECs

Duringthelate1990s,someearlyversionsofIDECswereplaguedwithreliabilityandperformanceissuesstemmingfromalackofunderstanding
regardingpropersysteminstallation,misunderstoodmaintenancerequirementsandpoorlydesignedsystems.Someexamples:

1.Reliability:thewatertroughsoftheindirectevaporativeheatexchangeroftheIDECshownin

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2.Improperinstallation:simplyput,evaporativecoolingsystemsrequirealotofairthreetofivetimesmorethanconventionalvaporcompression
systems.Installersneedtoensurethattheductworkissizedandinstalledcorrectlytoensureproperairflowisdeliveredtotheconditionedspace(Fig.11).

3.Poorengineering:oneparticularIDECsystemexperiencedseverereliablityproblemsduetofaultyengineering.Periodicallythewaterfloatvalvewould
stickandcausethewaterwithinthebasintorise.Althoughtherewasanoverflowdraintopreventthesystemfromoverflowing,theblowerwoulddrawwater
dropletsintothemotorandcontrolscabinet.Needlesstosay,water,motorsandcontrolsdontmix.Everytimethisoccurred,itcosttheownerabout$500to
replacethemotorandcontrols.

Fig.10TheheatexchangerofthisIDECwasrendereduselessbymisalignedwaternozzles.Notealsothepresenceofhardwaterscale.Thissystem
wasnotequippedwithableedline.

Fig.11ApoorlyinstalledIDECsystem.Theductworkisfartoorestrictivetodelivertheairflowneededtomeetthecoolingrequirementsofthis
classroom.

Fig.10aredesignedtodistributewaterovertheevaporativecoolingmedia.Oncethetroughsarefilled,thewaterissupposedtooverflowacrossthetopofthe
media.Unfortunately,thisheatexchangerwasrendereduselessbymisalignedwaternozzles.Thissituationmayhavebeeneasilyavoidedthroughtheuseof
inexpensivehoseclamps.

ThirdTimeaCharm?

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TheDavisEnergyGroup(DEG)andSpeakmanCRShaveintroducedathirdgenerationIDECknownastheOASysthatwillhopefullyovercome
manyoftheproblemsofthepast.ThesystemwasdesignedunderaresearchgrantprovidedbytheCaliforniaEnergyCommissionsPublicInterest
EnergyResearch(PIER)program.Additionaltestswerecompletedin2005inafieldstudysponsoredbytheSacramentoMunicipalUtilityDistrict.
AccordingtotheDEG,theOASysincludesthefollowingimprovements(Fig.12):

Corrosionproof,singlepiecepolyethylenecabinetensureslonglife.

Electronicallycommutated,variablespeedblowerfanmotorenhancesefficiencyandcomfortduringpartloadconditions.

Blowermotorislocatedupstreamoftheevaporativecoolingmediaeliminatesthechanceofwaterdropletsbeingdrawnintotheblowerfanmotor.

Programmablethermostatthatvariesthespeedoftheblowermotorinproportiontocoolingloadrequirements.

Waterqualitymanagementcontrols(timedpurgecycle).

HighperformanceevaporativecoolingmediaandindirectheatexchangerenablesOASystocoolairbelowtheambientwetbulbtemperatures(Fig.13).

Fig.12AirflowdiagramfortheOASys.

Providesexcellentventilationandmaybeusedinasimilarmannerasawholehousefan(whenoperatedinthefanonlymode).

Disadvantages
Doesnotworkwellinhumidclimatesoronhumiddays.

Unitsandreplacementpartsarenotwidelyavailable.

Requiresventingthroughopenwindowsorbarometricreliefdampers.

SomepreviousIDECshavebeenknowntohavereliabilityproblems.

Addssomehumiditytotheconditionedspace(mostpeoplepreferlowhumiditylevels).

Waterqualityhasamajorimpactuponsystemperformanceandmaintenancerequirements.Hardwaterdeposits(scale)mayclogthemediaandreducethe
airflowacrosstheevaporativecoolingpads.Fortunately,newwaterqualitymanagementcontrolstrategiessuchasperiodicallypurgingthebasinwaterhave
significantlyreducedproblemswithscale.

AdvantagesofIDECs

Energyefficient75%energysavingscomparedtoconventionalairconditioners.

Offersincreasedcomfortoverswampcoolers(lessmoistureaddedtosupplyair).

COOLERADOCOOLER
Athirdtypeofevaporativecoolingsystemwasintroducedin2004theCooleradoCooler.Thissystemutilizesapatentedindirectevaporativeheat
exchangerthatcoolstheairmultipletimesbeforeitenterstheconditionedspace.InessencethiscreatesacascadeeffectthatenablestheCooleradoCooler
tocooltheairbelowtheambientairwetbulbtemperaturewithoutaddinganymoisturetothesupplyair.ThepatentedCooleradoheatandmassexchangeris
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designedtotakeadvantageoftheMaisotsenkoCycle(Fig.14)andisconstructedfromcellulosefiberandethylvinylacetate(EVA).Theheatexchanger
containsbothwetanddrychannelsandseparatesincomingairintotwoairstreams:WorkingAirandProductAir.Thewetanddryairchannelsareseparated
viapolyethylenecoatedsheets.

Notes:D8^drybulbtemperatureF=Fahrenheit

RH=relativehumidityW8=wetbulbtemperature.Assumptionsforpercentwetbulbachieved:CooleradoCooler=90OASys=11DMasterfIooi+
iCIVU90Direct=83.

Notes:D8^drybulbtemperatureF=Fahrenheit

RH=relativehumidityW8=wetbulbtemperature.Assumptionsforpercentwetbulbachieved:CooleradoCooler=90OASys=11DMasterfIooi+
iCIVU90Direct=83.

Fig.13Coolingperformancefordifferenttypesofevaporativecoolingsystems.NotethatthedrybulbtemperaturesoftheairdeliveredbytheOASysare
lowerthanthewetbulbtemperaturesoftheoutsideair.

Fig.14TheMaisotsenkocycleusesthesamewetanddrychannelsasindirectevaporativecoolersbutwithamuchdifferentgeometryandairflow,
creatinganewthermodynamiccycle.Itworksbyincrementallycoolingandsaturatingworkingairandbenefitingfromthatcoolingonthenext
increment.This2DdiagramoftheMaisotsenkocycleshowshowairisincrementallycooledbythecontinuousexhaustofheatfollowedby
additionalcooling.Thiscycleallowsanyfluid(gasorliquid)tobecooledbelowthewetbulbtemperatureandwithinafewdegreesofthedewpoint
temperatureoftheincomingworkingair.Inaddition,nomoistureisaddedtotheproductairstream.

TheWorkingAiristheairusedtoproducethecoolingeffect.Asittravelsthroughthewetchannelsoftheheatexchanger,itcomesintodirectcontactwith
wettedcellulosesurfaces.Whenthishappens,someofthewaterevaporatesandabsorbsheat(indirectly)fromtheProductAirstream(i.e.,theairdeliveredto
theconditionedspace),whichistravelingthroughthedrychanneloftheheatexchanger.Thisprocessisrepeatedseveraltimeswithintheheatexchanger.

OverviewofOperation[9](Fig15)
1.OutsideairispushedintotheCooleradoCoolerheatexchangerwithasinglefan.

2.Productairchannels.

3.Workingairchannels.

4.HeatfromtheproductairistransferredthroughthethinplasticandintotheWetChannelsbelow.

5.Workingairisblockedfromenteringthebuilding.

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6.Theblockedworkingairisturnedandpassedthroughsmallholesintowetchannelsbelowtheproductairstream.

Fig.15CooleradoCoolerspatentedheatmassexchanger.

7.Theworkingairisnowmovingthroughwetchannelsperpendicularorcrossflowaboveandbelowthedrychannels.

8.Theheatthatispassedfromthedrychannelisconvertedintowatervapor.

9.Heatfromtheproductairhasbeenconvertedtowatervaporandisnowrejectedasexhausttotheoutsideair.

10.Theproductair,whichhasnowtraveledthelengthoftheheatexchanger,enterstheconditionedspacecoldanddry.

PotentialApplications

Accordingtothemanufacturer,theCooleradoCoolermaybeusedtoprovideresidentialandcommercialcomfortcoolingortoprecoolventilationairfor
largeconventionalairconditioningsystemsinmanyareasoftheUnitedStates.Themapshownbelowisbaseduponthehumiditywithineachclimaticzoneat
the1%designconditions(Fig.16).

Advantages

Energyefficient75%energysavingscomparedtoconventionalairconditioners

Doesnotaddmoisturetotheconditionedair

Abletocoolnearorbelowwetbulbtemperatureoftheambientair(Fig.17).

Providesexcellentventilation(Fig.18).

Systemhasonlytwomovingparts(supplyfanandsolenoidvalve).

Disadvantages
Unitsarenotyetwidelyavailable.

Requiresventingthroughopenwindowsorbarometricreliefdampers.

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Fig.16PotentialapplicationsfortheCooleradoCoolerinthecontinentalUnitedStates.

Notes:D8^drybulbtemperatureF=Fahrenheit

RH=relativehumidityW8=wetbulbtemperature.Assumptionsforpercentwetbulbachieved:CooleradoCooler=90OASys=110MasterfIooi+
iCIVU90Direct=83.

Notes:D8^drybulbtemperatureF=Fahrenheit

RH=relativehumidityW8=wetbulbtemperature.Assumptionsforpercentwetbulbachieved:CooleradoCooler=90OASys=110MasterfIooi+
iCIVU90Direct=83.

Fig.17Coolingperformancefordifferenttypesofevaporativecoolingsystems.Notethatthedrybulbtemperaturesoftheairdeliveredbythecooleradoare
veryclosetothewetbulbtemperaturesoftheoutsideair.

Reliabilityisunknown:fewerthan200unitshavebeendeployed.

Waterqualitymayimpactsystemperformanceandmaintenancerequirements.

SYSTEMCOMPARISON
Recallthatevaporativecoolingsystemsincorporateadiabaticcooling.Inthisprocess,theheatwithintheairstreamisconvertedintowatervaporitis
notactuallyremoved.Becauseofthis,thereiscurrentlynoestablishedindustrymetricforcomparingtheperformanceofevaporativecoolingsystemsto
conventionalvaporcompressionsystems.However,inAprilof2005,ESource,awellrespectedresearchfirm,publishedareportonevaporativecooling
systems.ThechartshowninFig.19providesanexcellentsummaryoftherelativeperformanceandcostsforallthreetypesofevaporativecoolingsystems.

CONCLUSION
Evaporativecoolingsystemsofferanenergyefficientalternativetovaporcompressionairconditioningsystemsinareaswithfavorableclimatic
conditions.Indeedasenergypricescontinuetoclimb,consumerdemandforultrahighefficiencyairconditioningsystemswillincrease.Innovativesystems

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suchastheOASysandtheCooleradoCoolermayhelpovercomemarketbarriersassociatedwiththehighhumidityconditionsprovidedbytraditionalswamp
coolers.However,thesesystemswillhavetoprovetobereliableandcosteffectiveinordertocompetewithwellestablishedrefrigerantbasedair
conditioningsystems.

Fig.18CooleradoCoolerinstallationataschoolinSacramento,California.

Notes:cfm=cubicfeetperminuteOX=directexpansionEER=energyefficiencyratio:CM=IndirectCoolingModuleIDECindirect/direct
evaporativecoolerkW=kilowattNA=notapplicableSEER=seasonalenergyefficiencyratioWB=wetbulbtemperature*x=trotavailable.

a.Wetbulbachievablepercentageisthepercentageofthedifferencebetweenthedrybulbandwetbulbtemperaturebywhichtheunitcanlowerthedrybulb
temperature.

b.EERslistedhereforevaporativecoolerswillvarywithairflowandclimateandareapplicableprimarilyinthewesternUnitedStates.FortheOASys,this
numberisasensibleEEFandisnotdirectlycomparablewiththeCooleradoCoolerefficiency.

c.BasedDntestingperformedbyNationalRenewableEnergyLaboratoryICooleradoCooler)andDavisEnergyGroupcertifiedbyLawrenceBerkeley
NationalLaboratory{OASys],PacificGasandElectric(Mastercool+ICM).

d.Manufacturersclaim.
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