Improving Energy Efficiency by Utilizing Wetted Cellulose Pads in Passive Cooling Systems

Ebrahim Morady, Madjid Soltani, Farshad Moradi Kashkooli, Masoud Ziabasharhagh, Armughan Al-Haq and Jatin Nathwani
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Ebrahim Morady: Department of Mechanical Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran 19967-15433, Iran
Madjid Soltani: Department of Mechanical Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran 19967-15433, Iran
Farshad Moradi Kashkooli: Department of Mechanical Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran 19967-15433, Iran
Masoud Ziabasharhagh: Department of Mechanical Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran 19967-15433, Iran
Armughan Al-Haq: Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Jatin Nathwani: Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: The effectiveness of using wetted cellulose pads on improving the performance of two conventional passive cooling systems has been evaluated. First, an experimental design was developed to determine the impact of using a wetted cellulose pad on the temperature and velocity of the airflow. A cellulose pad (7090 model) with a cross-sectional area of 0.5 × 0.5 m 2 and three different thicknesses of 10, 15, and 30 cm were selected and tested. The results indicated that using wetted cellulose pads with thicknesses ranging from 10–30 cm decreased the outlet airflow temperature from 11.3 to 13.7 °C on average. For free airflow at velocity 3.5 m/s, the outlet airflow velocity from the wetted cellulose pad decreased to 0.9, 0.7 and 0.6 m/s, respectively, for cellulose pads with thicknesses of 10, 15, and 30 cm. By applying experimental results on a psychrometric chart, the humidity ratio of outlet airflow was obtained between 40–70%. The study established airflow velocity as the critical parameter in passive cooling systems. With the novel concept of combining wetted cellulose pads for passive cooling systems (i.e., wind catchers and induced ventilation), there is good potential to reduce the energy requirements for thermal comfort in buildings in regions with a hot and arid climate.

Keywords: natural ventilation; passive cooling system; cellulose pad; wind energy; wind catcher; induced ventilation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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