Validated open-source Modelica model of direct evaporative cooler with minimal inputs

Saranya Anbarasu, Wangda Zuo, Yangyang Fu, Yash Shukla, Rajan Rawal

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Direct evaporative coolers (DECs) are a low-energy cooling alternative to conventional air conditioning in hot-dry climates. The key component of DEC is the cooling pad, which evaporatively cools the air passing through it. While detailed numerical models of heat and mass transfer have been proposed for the cooling pad, these require many input parameters that are not readily accessible. Alternatively, simplified models lack accuracy and are confined to common types of cooling pad. To address these limitations, we developed and validated a physics-based model, that only needs the nominal data to compute the heat and mass transfer with considerable accuracy. The proposed model is implemented in Modelica, an equation-based object-oriented modeling language. For comparison, a basic lumped model from EnergyPlus based on the efficiency curve of the cooling pad is also implemented. The physics-based model exhibits <2% error from the experimental data and the lumped model exhibits a 12.3% error.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)757-770
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Building Performance Simulation
Volume15
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Architecture
  • Building and Construction
  • Modeling and Simulation
  • Computer Science Applications

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Validated open-source Modelica model of direct evaporative cooler with minimal inputs'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this