Analysis of polishing waste ceramic foam packing in evaporative cooling

Abstract

This paper proposes the use of ceramic polishing slag to make fillers for evaporative coolers. The experimental tests on the heat transfer performance of the ceramic foam packing are carried out by using the independent test bench, focusing on the effects of the packing's flow channel form, drench density, the inlet air volume and pressure drop on the heat, and the mass transfer performance of the packing. The experimental results show that the optimum drench density of the ceramic foam packing in the form of a folded runner and a linear runner is 10.0 and 6.7 kg/(m·h), respectively. The direct evaporative cooling efficiency of the ceramic foam packing in both runners tends to decrease with the decrease in the dry and wet bulb temperature difference of the inlet air and the increase of the air mass flow rate. Under the same experimental conditions, the direct evaporative cooling efficiency, optimum inlet air velocity, and pressure drop of the packing in the form of a folded flow channel are higher than those of the linear flow channel. The optimal inlet air velocities of the packing in the form of a folded runner under the conditions of Urumqi, Xi'an, and Guangzhou are 1.6, 1.4, and 1.0 m/s, respectively, and the direct evaporative cooling efficiency can reach 83.01%, 70.74%, and 66.41%. In comparison, the optimal inlet air velocity for all three conditions under the linear runner is 1.0 m/s, and the direct evaporative cooling efficiencies are 73.78%, 68.56%, and 63.28%, respectively.