DESIGN OF A NOVEL DEW POINT INDERECT EVAPORATVE COOLER: PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS

Abstract

Evaporative coolers may represent a promising alternative to conventional cooling technologies based on vapor compression systems. Indeed, they present lower production and operative costs, as well as lower environmental impact. The present study aims to develop a novel Dew Point Indirect Evaporative Cooler (DPIEC), by combining simplicity, hence low production costs, and higher cooling performance. The design proposed has mixed flow configuration and is made of polycarbonate plate covered with cotton cloth as wicking material. Two prototypes with different length are experimentally tested for two different water distributors. The performance of the novel DPIEC is evaluated and compared in terms of temperature drop, dew-point effectiveness, cooling capacity and compactness. The results show that the long prototype performs better in terms of temperature drop and dew point effectiveness, but yields lower cooling capacity and is less compact. In addition, it is observed that the distributor that supplies water over the system performs better, independently on the prototype. These results can serve as reference for future designs of mixed-flow DPIEC.