TECHNICAL RESOURCES

Wet-Bulb Temperature Selection

This section contains tables that are commonly used for the design and sizing of
evaporative cooling equipment, reproduced from Chapter 14 of the 2013 ASHRAE
Handbook-Fundamentals.

››Overview
The data presented in the tables represents different climatic conditions throughout North America. Dry-bulb temperature data
represents the sensible component of outdoor air, whereas wet-bulb temperature data represents the amount of moisture that
the air can evaporate. Evaporative cooling equipment selection is based on wet-bulb temperature, as units rely on the process of
evaporation to reject heat.

Columns in the table are organized to present dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperatures corresponding to 0.4%, 1% and 2% annual
cumulative frequency of occurrence. Each temperature in a column represents the value that is exceeded by the indicated
percentage of hours in a year (8,760). For instance, according to Appendix: Design Conditions for Selected Locations from the
2013 ASHRAE Handbook-Fundamentals, the wet-bulb temperature in Huntsville, Alabama will exceed 78.4ºF as shown in
Evaporation WB/MCDB column on average 35 hours (0.4%) in any given year. As cooling systems must be designed to meet the
peak cooling load, most comfort cooling and light industrial application designs are based on 0.4% annual cumulative frequency
of occurrence.

Pages J9 to J21 are Copyright 2013, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (www.ashrae.org).
Reprinted by permission from 2013 ASHRAE Handbook-Fundamentals. This text may not be copied nor distributed in either paper or
digital form without ASHRAE’s permission.

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PRODUCT & APPLICATION HANDBOOK VOLUME V J11
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PRODUCT & APPLICATION HANDBOOK VOLUME V J13
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PRODUCT & APPLICATION HANDBOOK VOLUME V J15
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PRODUCT & APPLICATION HANDBOOK VOLUME V J19
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