Numerical Simulation of the Evaporative Air Cooler with a Capillary-Porous Structure

Abstract

Application of evaporative air cooling in various technologies allows reducing energy costs for improving environmental performance. Considering the promise of using air coolers with a capillary-porous structure, a mathematical model of the working process for such devices of contact heat of mass transfer was developed. The model takes into account the completeness of the process with temperature efficiency equal to 0.6–0.7 at constant water temperature at the temperature level of the wet thermometer. The estimation of energy efficiency of the air cooler on the basis of the exergent method of thermodynamic analysis is proposed. As a result, the thermophysical and design model of evaporative cooling of air in air-cooled contact type with capillary-porous structures was developed. The proposed method of cooling air is characterized by the following advantages the lowest water consumption per unit of heat exchange surface compared with other methods (e. g. spray nozzles), as well as zero discharge of drip liquid, which does not require further separation. Finally, the estimation of energy efficiency of the air vent is proposed on the basis of the exergent method of thermodynamic analysis.Запропонована модель ураховує завершеність процесц з температурою ефективністю 0,6-0,7 при постійній температурі води на рівні температури мокрого тонометра. Запропоновано спосіб оцінювання енергоефективності повітроохолоджувача на основі ексергетичного методу термодинамічного аналізу.