Dew Point Evaporative Comfort Cooling
Abstract
Air-conditioning is the single largest contributor to peak demand on U.S. electricity grids and is the primary cause of grid failures and blackouts.i Power generators and refrigeration-based airconditioning units are least efficient at high ambient temperatures, when cooling demand is highest. This leads to increased pollution, excessive investment in standby generation capacity, and poor utilization of peaking assets. Air-conditioning accounts for approximately 15% of all source energy used for electricity production in the United States alone (nearly 4 quadrillion Btu), which results in the release of about 343 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year.ii Evaporative air conditioners can mitigate the environmental impacts and help meet Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) 2007 and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) energy policy goals by eliminating energy waste and reducing electricity demand. Researchers have developed a new multi-staged indirect evaporative cooling (IEC) technology known as the Coolerado Cooler. This technology uses a unique design that maximizes the effectiveness of the direct and indirect stages of its cooling process. The cycle works by cooling both the primary (or product) air and the secondary (or working) air in a 20-stage process. Each stage contributes to cooling by combining multiple direct stages with a single indirect stage. The cumulative result is a lower product air temperature than is possible with conventional evaporative cooling technologies, as the unit can achieve wet bulb effectiveness (WBE) of 90% 120%. The key difference between this and other direct/indirect processes is that the working air that accumulates moisture is exhausted at each stage, enabling the product air to be delivered at a lower dry bulb temperature. This thermodynamic cycle is referred to as the Maisotsenko Cycle (or M-Cycle).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA607478
Entities
People
- Eric Kozubal
- Jesse Dean
- Jesse Geiger
- Lesley Herrmann
- Mark Eastment
- Steve Slayzak
Organizations
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory