Volume 59

Evaporation performance of moisture-conducting fiber-type evaporative cooler Shuchen Peng, Yi Chen

Abstract

Moisture-conducting fibers have the potential to be used as an evaporative medium in evaporative cooling systems. The performance of indirect evaporative coolers depends on the evaporation of the water film in the wet channel, while traditional core materials face issues such as poor wetting (low wetting rate, uneven water film, etc.). This study experimentally investigated the evaporation performance of a novel wet surface material (moisture-conducting fibers) when applied to an indirect evaporative cooler, constructing a single-channel evaporative cooling test bench equipped with a micro-pressure water distribution system. Under different inlet air temperatures (25°C–35°C), relative humidity (40%–80%), and air velocity (2 m/s–4 m/s) conditions, the surface dynamic wetting characteristics, including changes in moisture content and evaporation rate, were investigated. A sensitivity analysis was conducted using Pearson correlation analysis to assess the importance of the three influencing factors. The effects of various factors on the performance of the evaporative cooler were analyzed, providing guidance for the development, design, and efficient operation of moisture-conducting fiber-type evaporative coolers.

Keywords Moisture-conducting fibers, Evaporative cooling, Material properties, Dynamic wetting, Evaporation rate