A simplified model for analysis of heat and mass transfer in a direct evaporative cooler

In this paper heat and mass transfer, process in direct evaporative cooler is discussed. A simplified mathematical model is developed to describe the heat and mass transfer between air and water in a direct evaporative cooler. The model consists of the governing equations with their boundary conditions and some associated algebraic equations. The related latent heat of water evaporation is taken as a heat source in the energy equation, and the mass of evaporated water is treated as a mass source in the mass equation. The study presents a comparison of the computed results with that of experimental results for the same evaporative cooler. A good agreement between the calculated and experimental results is achieved. The influences of the inlet frontal air velocity, pad thickness, inlet air dry-bulb temperature on the cooling efficiency of the evaporative cooler are calculated and analyzed. The predicted results show validity of simple mathematical model to design the direct evaporative cooler, and that the direct evaporative cooler with high performance pad material may be well applied for air conditioning systems.