SET Proceedings 2978-4387 Caravel Press 10.65582/set.2019.085 2019.085 Performance evaluation of multi-stage indirect evaporative cooling systems CuiXin cuixin@xjtu.edu.cn YanWeichao JinLiwen MengXiangzhao ChuaKian Jon mpeckje@nus.edu.sg Institute of Building Environment and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, China Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, 117576, Singapore Engineering Science Programme, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, 117575, Singapore 10022020 18 2 978-0-85358-331-8 233 238 10 February 2020 © 2019 Copyright WSSET 2020

This study analysed the performance of multi-stage indirect evaporative cooling systems under two operational modes. A series of indirect evaporative coolers (IECs) were operated in a tandem arrangement. A mathematical model was established to investigate the theoretical performance of the multi-stage IEC. The model was validated by comparing the predicted air treatment conditions with experimental data acquired from literature. The calculated results show that the multi-stage arrangement is capable of improving the cooling performance and reducing the outlet air temperature. In addition, the Mode-2 IEC generally provided the product air with a lower outlet temperature compared with the Mode-1 IEC. On the other hand, the multi-stage IEC displayed a higher pressure drop resulting in a larger consumption of fan power. The cooling effectiveness, the pressure drop, and the cooling capacity are determined for the IEC with different stages. The calculation of Performance Evaluation Criteria (PEC) showed that the improvement of cooling effectiveness was achieved by sacrificing the cooling capacity for the multi-stage arrangement. It is inferred from the simulation results that the appropriate maximum stage was three-stage and two-stage for mode-1 and mode-2 IEC respectively.

 air-conditioning indirect evaporative cooling heat exchanger heat and mass transfer numerical simulation 20 to 22 August 2019 18th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies SET2019 18 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia