Effect of water wheel configurations on portable air conditioner performance in high-humidity environments: An experimental study

Nowadays, portable air conditioners (PACs) have gained a broad international market with their advantages of easy installation and flexibility. The water wheel is generally used to solve the drainage problem of the PACs in the high-humidity environment. The reasonable configuration of the water wheel can help extend the continuous operation time and improve the performance of the PACs. This study was built upon existing PACs, exploring the impact of water wheel configurations on the performance of PACs in high-humidity environments. The research revealed that among various water wheel configurations, a dual water wheel configuration functioned better than a single one to help solve drainage problem. And the water wheel configuration that sprays water to the highest temperature area of the condenser proved the most effective for condensate removal. The optimal drainage characteristics of this particular water wheel configuration corresponded to the highest Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) observed in the PACs, with the maximum increase of 21.11% compared to other water wheel configurations. Additionally, Due to the effect of condensate, with an increase in relative humidity, there was a simultaneous rise in the EER for all water wheel configurations in high-humidity environments.