Evaporative cooling is an exceptionally efficient and economical means of cooling industrial buildings, production facilities, warehouses and data centres. It is not a new technology, infact it is widely used around the world. So why isn’t it more widespread in the UK?
Common misconceptions about this excellent technology are stopping many facilities managers and factory owners from taking advantage of the considerable savings it can achieve for them. Let’s address these concerns and look at the main benefits of evaporative cooling.
A cooling performance to match the weather
This technology can provide as much cooling as necessary to achieve the desired working conditions given the weather at the time. In common with traditional cooling techniques evaporative cooling systems are designed based on a ‘design year’ or typical weather data set. However, unlike traditional cooling systems, if external temperatures rise beyond what is expected then the system capacity can increase to address this. Evaporative cooling efficiency increases as outside temperatures rise – just when it is needed.
Low maintenance
An evaporative cooling system is simple in design, which means low maintenance, reduced risk of a breakdown and therefore low operating costs. It is only necessary to carry out a check in the spring and autumn and to replace the desorption element every 2-4 years.
In the case of the Colt CoolStream evaporative cooler, the formation of algae is prevented by the constant circulation of the stored water and the drain, dry, and refill cycles. CoolStream has been carefully designed to minimise the effect of limescale build up, and the controls ensure that the system has much more water in circulation within the unit than what is needed for evaporation alone.
Low cost, high reliability
Overall operating costs of an evaporative cooling system are far lower than comparable conventional air conditioning technologies. For example the power consumption of CoolStream systems is only around 1 kWh, and 50 litres of water per hour are consumed to supply 10,000m3/h of fresh supplied air with a cooling capacity in excess of 30 kW.
Safety
Evaporative coolers like CoolStream are carefully designed to eliminate the risk of legionella. Water is kept at ambient temperature, not the elevated temperatures that lead to fast colonisation, and there are regular automatic drain, dry and refill cycles.
CoolStream has been independently certified to VDI 6022 (“Hygienic Requirements for Ventilation Systems and Units for Internal Spaces”). This is a rigorous standard for air conditioning systems and confirms the high quality of supply air.
So, what are you waiting for?
Evaporative cooling is a very energy efficient and safe technology. Evaporative cooling systems are lightweight, enjoy low in maintenance and are reliable; they use no refrigerants and enable a comfortable working environment. Evaporative cooling is an excellent solution for warehouses, production facilities and industrial buildings generating high heat loads, as well as for data centres. It is also particularly good at keeping people comfortable whilst they are working, thereby improving productivity.
If you would like to know more, why not contact us.
Whitepaper - The facts about evaporative cooling
We’ve also written a whitepaper to accompany this webinar.
Paul Langford is an Engineering Director experienced in product development, manufacturing & testing for HVAC, louvre and smoke control systems.
