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Evaporative Cooling
E pad. The water in the pad evaporates, removing heat from the air while
adding moisture. Although the concept has been used in residential
“swamp” coolers in the Southwest for decades, technology advances have
made evaporative cooling a viable alternative to conventional cooling in
Case Study commercial buildings and in other areas of the country. Manufacturers
The Race Health Sciences Building at have begun to offer two-stage (“indirect-direct”) evaporative coolers that
Santa Rosa Junior College in Santa Rosa, offer greater cooling effectiveness, extending the geographic range where
CA uses three indirect-direct evaporative evaporative cooling can be used.
cooling (IDEC) units to provide cooling
to the 38,500 ft² building. On a Types of Evaporative Cooling
record setting day with 101°F dry-
Direct Evaporative Cooling
bulb temperatures, the IDEC systems
were able to maintain indoor space Direct evaporative cooling, commonly used with residential systems,
temperatures within comfort levels and cools the air by evaporating water to increase the moisture content
maintain indoor humidity levels between of the air. Standard residential systems use evaporative media of
50% and 60% without the need for the shredded aspen fibers, typically 1 to 2 inches thick. These systems
chiller. Santa Rosa Junior College is have an effectiveness of 55 to 70 percent. (Effectiveness is a measure
reusing the design for other buildings on of how closely the supply air temperature leaving the evaporative
campus. cooler approaches the outdoor wet-bulb temperature – see sidebar.)
Effectiveness is defined by:
Assumptions: weather data is ASHRAE 0.4% design dry-bulb and mean coincident wet-bulb; assumed effectiveness of
85% for direct and 110% for indirect-direct evaporative coolers.
(continued on page 3)
Exterior air
at a much cooler temperature, which
allows the system to operate at a much
Exterior air
D
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used in very hot and dry regions and residential markets. Indirect-
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direct evaporative cooling can be used throughout most of California.
Send letters to the editor, suggestions on Since 100% outdoor air is used, it has significant secondary benefits in
topics for future issues, or other comments to applications with high outdoor air requirements such as classrooms.
enews@energydesignresources.com.
Recently, the more advanced indirect and indirect-evaporative coolers
e-News is published by Energy Design have been developed for the residential and light commercial market.
Resources (www.energydesignresources.
com), an online resource center for Indirect evaporative cooling can be coupled with conventional DX cooling
information on energy efficiency design to lower refrigeration loads. A system using indirect evaporative cooling
practices in California. with DX cooling can have a lower total cooling load than a recirculation
Savings By Design system using only DX cooling. Sutter Warrick Hospital in Santa Rosa,
California used this configuration to provide improved indoor air quality
(www.savingsbydesign.com) offers design
assistance and incentives to design teams in conjunction with reduced cooling load.
and building owners in California to Water Use and Water Treatment
encourage high-performance nonresidential
building design and construction. Water is used with evaporative systems to both replace the evaporated
Energy Design Resources and Savings water and to purge dissolved minerals that accumulate as water
By Design are funded by California utility evaporates. Residential systems typically use 5 to 10 gallons of water
customers and administered by Pacific Gas per hour of operation. Most high efficiency units meet water use levels
and Electric Company, Sacramento Municipal recommended by the California Energy Commission (0.15 gpm/ton or
Utility District, San Diego Gas and Electric, lower). This water consumption is partially offset by the reduced power
Southern California Edison and Southern consumption of evaporative cooling units, since the reduced load reduces
California Gas Company, under the auspices
water consumption at the power plant.
of the California Public Utilities Commission.
Water treatment is a concern, especially for areas of the desert southwest
that have hard water. Mineral deposits will accumulate in the sump and
eventually cause scale on the pads. One option is a bleed-off system, which diverts a small amount of water out of
the distribution basin to dilute mineral concentrations. The bleed rate depends upon water hardness and airborne
contaminant levels and can range from 5% to 100% of the evaporation rate. A blow-down system will periodically
dump water from the sump while the cooler is in operation. The discharged water can be used to water gardens.
Blow-down systems have an advantage over bleed-down systems in that they discharge accumulated dirt and debris
that collects at the bottom of the sump, and they often use less water than continuous bleed systems. A third option
is water treatment. Water treatment is often recommended for systems with rigid media due to high replacement
costs. Other treatment mechanisms include electromagnetic, electrostatic, catalytic and mechanical.
Training Highlights
California utilities offer outstanding educational opportunities Green Buildings - Proven Emerging Technologies
that focus on the design, construction and operation of energy-
efficient buildings. Listed here are a few of the many upcoming Emerging efficient HVAC systems for various types of buildings
classes and events; for complete schedules, visit each utility’s will be presented in terms of advantages and disadvantages.
HVAC systems to be discussed include chilled beam, positive
website.
displacement, variable refrigerant flow, underground air
Compressorless Cooling distribution, and VAV systems. San Diego Energy Resource
Center. May 19, 8:00am to 12:00pm, San Diego. https://
Learn about the design and installation of compressorless cooling seminars.sdge.com
technologies. Topics to be covered include whole house cooling
fans, single-stage direct evaporative cooling, indirect/direct two- Evaporative Cooling for Commercial and Industrial Facilities
stage evaporative cooling, residential economizers, and utility Evaporative cooling will be explored as an energy efficient
rebates for whole house cooling fans and evaporative coolers. and cost effectie means of cooling commercial and industrial
Pacific Energy Center. April 15, 9:00am to 4:30pm, Stockton buildings. Participants will learn about the technology, climate
ETC. http://www.pge.com/mybusiness/edusafety/training/pec/ zone, economic considerations, maintenance, and water treatment
classes/ related to evaporative cooling. http://www.sce.com/ECR/