Bowman, NT; Lomas, KJ; Cook, MJ; Eppel, H; Robinson, D; Ford, B; Diaz, C; + view all Bowman, NT; Lomas, KJ; Cook, MJ; Eppel, H; Robinson, D; Ford, B; Diaz, C; Wilton, O; Cuclinella, M; Badano, E; Bombardi, E; Francis, E; Galata, A; Lanarde, P; Belarbi, R; Rodriguez, E; Alvarez, S; - view fewer (1998) The application of Passive Downdraught Evaporative Cooling (PDEC) to non-domestic buildings. Final publishable report, January 1996 to December 1998. De Montfort University: Leicester, UK.

Text PDEC_3_Publishable_final_report.pdf - Published Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff Download (9MB)

Abstract

Passive downdraught evaporative cooling (PDEC) involves spraying controlled volumes of microscopic water droplets into hot, dry ambient air, thereby causing it to cool and descend into a capture zone within a building. From here the cool air enters the adjacent occupied spaces through carefully sized and controlled openings. Close collaboration is needed between architects and engineers for PDEC to work well. State-of-the-art thermal simulation programs are able to provide estimates of likely cooling energy savings using PDEC and also to indicate the likely occurrence of overheating – or the need for auxiliary cooling support. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) programs with a water particle tracking capability are invaluable for evaluating buildings with PDEC. The head of the capture zone and the air exhaust route must be designed to avoid wind effects – the cool air alone can drive a sufficient airflow. For the Seville and Catania climates, the auxiliary cooling demand for new modern offices was predicted to decrease by 66% and 27% using between 1 and 10 litres of cooling water per person per day. The Spanish offices design was expected to cost no more than a conventional alternative. A full-scale experimental facility has been built and monitored in Catania, Italy, to assess the performance of PDEC. Data has been collected during two summer campaigns, but further work on the engineering, control and durability of PDEC systems is needed. The technical and commercial potential of PDEC is very promising. Initial estimates suggest with modest uptake, energy savings in Spain and Italy could be around 12.5 million kWh per year. Vigorous marketing and promotion could speed the take-up of this novel technology.

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