Experimental investigations for analyzing performance of a direct evaporative cooling system: A case study

This paper examines experimentally the performance of direct evaporative cooling system for the hot and dry climate of Vidarbha region (Wardha, Maharashtra, INDIA, 20.75 degrees N, 78.60 degrees E). The evaporative cooling system of larger capacity has been designed for effective cooling of classrooms and laboratory spaces of Bajaj Institute of Technology, an engineering institution located at Wardha District. The cooling structures existing in the literature might not be appropriate for this weather condition. Keeping in view this problem, an evaporative cooling section is fabricated using newly developed porous-cellulose material, structured in the form of a honeycomb, to meet the comfort necessities of hot and dry ambience. The evaporative cooling systems of capacity 6000 CFM have been commissioned in the cooler chambers associated with the amenities described above. Experiments have been conducted in the summer months to examine the saturation efficiency of the system, for various test situations in the amenities. In order to reduce the penetration of sound into the conditioning rooms, the effect of Nitrile rubber sheets was also examined. The direct evaporative cooling system exhibited a saturation efficiency ranging from 45.0% to 68.0% for the different test situations in amenities. The provision of Nitrile rubber inside the walls of cooler chamber could reduce the sound intensity by about 18.8%.