Simplified performance correlation of an indirect evaporative cooling system: Development and validation

Abstract

At present, there is an increasing interest in indirect evaporative coolers (IEC), which are an effective alternative to conventional cooling systems due to their high efficiency. In this study a new simplified first order linear regression model of an IEC system has been developed. The model is based on experimental data and results of the proposed correlation have been compared with ones of a phenomenological model and with further measurements collected in significant operating conditions (data center, desiccant evaporative cooling cycle and residential application). It is shown that deviations of wet bulb effectiveness are limited to 3.4% for the simplified model and 2.1% for the detailed one. Therefore, due to its good accuracy and low computational load, the simplified model could be suitable to be implemented in simulation tools.