Reducing energy consumption of air-conditioning systems in moderate climates by applying indirect evaporative cooling

Abstract

This paper investigates the potential of applying an indirect evaporative cooler for heat recovery in air conditioning systems in moderate climates. The counter-flow indirect evaporative heat and mass exchanger is compared with commonly used recuperation unit in terms of achieved energy. The performance analysis of the indirect evaporative exchanger is carried out with original ε-NTU-model considering condensation from treated air. It was found that the indirect evaporative exchanger employed as a heat recovery device, allows to obtain higher performance than conventional recuperator. Additional energy savings potential is related with utilizing the potential of water evaporation to pre-cool the outdoor air. It is also stated that there is a high potential of reusing condensate that forms in product channels of the indirect evaporative exchanger and in the vapour-compression unit and delivering it to the working part of the indirect evaporative exchanger.