Modular Indirect Evaporative Cooler for Scalable Cooling Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing evaporative cooling systems lack scalability to efficiently meet varying cooling demands across different spaces, from small to large commercial or industrial buildings, as they are not easily adaptable to change in cooling loads.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates multiple indirect evaporative heat exchangers with interconnected cavity spaces and shared fans to control air flow, allowing for scalable delivery of cool conditioned air by managing air flow through dry and wet passages in counter flow, enabling flexible and efficient cooling capacity adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single large evaporative cooler is used to meet large cooling loads, then cooling capacity is sufficient, but the system cannot efficiently meet varying cooling demands across different spaces and is not easily adaptable
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into multiple independent evaporative cooler units, each capable of operating autonomously. These modular units can be individually controlled and adjusted based on specific cooling requirements of different spaces, enabling the system to adapt to varying cooling demands without requiring a complete system redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
Each evaporative cooler unit is designed to perform multiple functions - it can serve different spaces with varying cooling loads, can be configured in different arrangements, and can operate independently or in combination with other units. This multi-functionality allows a single standardized unit design to address diverse cooling requirements across small to large commercial or industrial buildings.
2Productivity
If multiple evaporative heat exchangers are combined into a single unit with manifolded supply air and exhaust air, then large scale cooling capacity is achieved, but the system becomes less compact and more difficult to transport
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than combining multiple heat exchangers into one large integrated unit, the system maintains them as separate modular units. Each unit retains its own supply and exhaust pathways, avoiding the need for complex manifolded air distribution systems. This segmentation allows each unit to remain compact and transportable while the collection of units delivers large scale cooling capacity when deployed together.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional evaporative cooler designs are used, then the structure is simple, but the system lacks scalability to efficiently meet varying cooling demands
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multiple independent evaporative cooler units that can be individually configured and controlled. This modular segmentation allows the overall system to be scaled by adding or removing units based on cooling demand, while each individual unit maintains a simple, straightforward structure that is easy to understand and operate.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration allows for a compact, modular, and transportable cooling system that can efficiently deliver large volumes of cooled air, meeting diverse cooling loads by varying the air flow through multiple heat exchangers, enhancing flexibility and reducing energy wastage.
Implementation Method 1
indirect evaporative cooler system in which air flow in interspersed wet and dry passages of each of a plurality of evaporative heat exchangers is in respective counter flow
Implementation Method 2
adjacent wet and dry passages arranged such that air through the adjacent passages flows in relative counter flow
Data Source
AI summary
A scaleable indirect evaporative cooler system (10) fitted within a container incorporates a plurality of dry and wet passage heat exchangers (30) where the dry passages of the plurality of heat exchangers feed into a common space (32) from which conditioned air is delivered via a delivery fan (40) downstream of the dry passages of the heat exchangers. An exhaust fan 22 draws air from the common space (32) through the wet passages of the heat exchanger to a common exhaust space (34) before being exhausted to atmosphere via the exhaust fan (22).