Analysis of crossflow indirect evaporative air conditioner
With growing realization of the limitations of available energy resources, systems requiring low energy are of considerable interest at the present time. Experimental and field test results show that indirect evaporative cooling using a compact package of a fixed plate type heat exchanger is able to provide the required cooling demand, with considerable energy savings in areas where a high dry-bulb temperature and a low wet-bulb temperature are encountered. The main components of the indirect evaporative cooler are two fans, a plastic plate heat exchanger, and a cold water circulating pump. The heat exchanger is of the crossflow design with air in the primary flow (room air supply) passages traveling in a horizontal direction, and in the secondary (exhaust air) passages in a downward vertical direction. Cooling is provided by a fan blowing warm outdoor air through the primary passages, while cold water is sprayed on top of the heat exchanger over the secondary air path. The supply air is cooled without moisture pick-up as it travels through the primary flow passages. The exhaust air is drawn through the secondary flow passages and is discharged to the atmoshpere with water evaporate. Although the indirect evaporative air conditioner was experimentally proved to be well suited for low and moderate humidity climates, a detailed mathematical analysis, predicting its capacity and performance was not found in the literature. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to analyze the system for different climates, using computer simulation in predicting important parameters affecting the performance of the air conditioner, such as, heat exchanger effectiveness, capacity, and temperature distribution within the heat exchanger passages.
- OSTI ID:
- 6890659
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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