Potential of Indirect Evaporative Cooling to Reduce the Energy Consumption in Fresh Air Conditioning Applications

The study presents a complex evaluation of the indirect evaporation cooling technology potential to reduce the energy consumption of the fresh air conditioning system, of an office building in the climatic conditions of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The study was realized for the cooling season of one year based multiannual values of ambient temperature and relative humidity. It was considered two types of fresh air conditioning systems. The classic system was considered composed of a cooling battery powered by an electric chiller and the evaporative system was considered composed by a recuperative heat exchanger, indirect evaporative cooling equipment and the same classic cooling battery. It was found that the fresh air cooling period starts in May and ends in September. The performances of the two air conditioning technologies were compared and it was concluded that the evaporative system allowed the reduction of energy consumption for the fresh air cooling with almost 80%.