Experimental Investigation of a Split Air Conditioning Using Condensate as Direct Evaporative Cooling

Abstract

Split air conditioning systems produce reasonable amount of condensate which is usually not utilized and thrown away to the environment. On the other hand, it consumes a lot of energy during operation. The aim of this study is to investigate the improvement of air conditioning systems performance utilizing condensate. A direct evaporative cooling using condensate is incorporated on a 0.74 ton-cooling capacity of split air conditioning to decrease the air temperature before entering the condenser. Performances of the split air conditioning with and without direct evaporative cooling are compared and presented in this paper. The results show that the use of direct evaporative cooling using condensate into the air before passing through the condenser reduces the compressor discharge pressure. The decrease of the condenser pressure led to 4.7% and 7% reduction of power consumption for air conditioner without cooling load and air conditioner with 2000 W cooling load, respectively. The cooling effect and coefficient of performance (COP) increase with the decrease of compressor power. The use of direct evaporative cooling with condensate into the air before entering the condensing system can enhance the system performance and protect the environment.