Energy and materials analysis of wet channels structures for evaporative cooling systems manufactured by FFF technique with foam materials

Abstract

The development of new evaporative cooling technologies can significantly reduce energy consumption and help mitigate the effects of climate change. This study aimed to evaluate the evaporative cooling capacity of air passage channel structures. Six different channels were manufacturing using two types of foam, Wfoam and Bfoam, three of each type, made from polylactic acid added with a chemical blowing agent, employing the Additive Manufacturing (AM) technique of fused filament fabrication and modifying manufacturing parameters. The experimental analysis consisted of two phases: initially, all six channels were tested under constant inlet air conditions; subsequently, the channel exhibiting the highest evaporative cooling capacity was further analysed under different air velocities. The results obtained allowed for an analysis of the relationship between material properties, energy performance, and cooling capacity, with the goal of optimizing and designing more efficient cooling systems. The energy performance of the channels was assessed in terms of heat flux, and sensible and latent powers. The results indicated that the channel made from the type of foam with the highest porosity achieved the lowest supply air temperature and the highest sensible and latent powers. Additionally, this channel demonstrated the highest wet bulb effectiveness, reaching up to 0.86 at the maximum tested air velocity. These findings confirm the feasibility of using AM to generate porosity in evaporative cooling systems manufactured with polymeric materials.