Adama Science and Technology University

School of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering

Department of Thermal and Aerospace Engineering

Senior project proposal

Title: “design of evaporative cooler prototype’’

Name student ID
1. Yared Alebachew R/1226/08
2. Tesfamichal Tilahun R/1140/08
3. Tesifaye Abera R/1146/08

Advisor: Mr. Beriso Bino

Abstract
This project is about the design and prototype of dry cooler, which is to cool a home in hot and
dry climates. In the project there are different tasks to be done. The design starts with obtaining
or collecting the average the local weather data of most hot and dry the location and orientation
of the room to be cooled is assumed to be of most houses, the material of the wall of the room,
window are of great importance in calculating the cooling load. in addition to this the direction
of the door and window is important.
After having the above data the amount of heat to be removed from the room which is called the
cooling load is calculated. Calculation of the cooling load is based on internal heat gains,
external heat gains and infiltration air. Internal heat gain includes heat gain due to occupants and
light. External heat gain is the heat gain by conduction through the walls, roof, window and door
and solar heat gain through glass.
Having the total heat gain (cooling load) the flow rate of air and water is determined. From the
flow rate and considering the energy balance the total heat transfer area is calculated. By which
this area is used to determine the dimension of the pad.
Finally after the fan which is used to push air through the wetted pad and then into the room and
the pump which is used to pump the cooling water is selected. The design suitable for
manufacturing is going to take place which includes considering of clearance, fitting and surface
finish. Then with all dimension required for manufacturing is on hand the object is going to be
manufactured. The manufacturing process included the dimensioning of sheet metal, cutting into
dimension, bending, welding and riveting. Finally, assembling of each parts of the evaporative
cooler.

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Introduction
Dry cooling is one of the most ancient and one of the most energy-efficient methods of cooling a
home. It long has been regarded as environmentally "safe," since the process typically uses no
ozone-depleting chemicals. In dry climates, evaporative cooling, even the relatively inefficient
"swamp box" household cooler, can be used to inexpensively cool large homes

The most common form of residential evaporative cooling uses a vertical pad of cellulose fiber, a
system for delivering water to the top of the pad, and a fan to draw air through the porous pad as
the water runs down the medium and is absorbed. As dry air moves over the wet pad, water
evaporates, and the air gives up its heat. The air moving from the wet pad into the home is cooler
than the outdoor air.

Evaporative cooling has the following advantages over a refrigerated system:

 Generally lower Initial purchase costs than refrigerated systems.
 Lower running costs than refrigerated systems
 Lower energy usage
 Less greenhouse gas production
 No CFC's or HFC's (i.e. no ozone depletion)

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Literature review

Evaporative cooler is air-conditioning equipment used for cooling and humidifying home in dry
and hot climate.
An alternative to air conditioning, evaporative cooler uses evaporation, rather than chemical
coolant, to lower the temperature of air.
It is a large box-like frame containing a big fan and walled in by water-wetted pads or cloth. The
fan pushes the hot and dry outside air through the dripping pads which are continuously soaked
by a water pump. The air is then cooled and humidified as it evaporates some water molecules
from the pad. The fan then blows the water-cooled air through the house.
Unlike air conditioned rooms, windows or ceiling vents need to be open when an evaporative
cooling system is operating. The large volume of fresh air added to the home replaces a
significant amount of air that exits from the home.
On dry days-which are almost every day in a desert evaporative cooler works fine but when the
late summer rains come and the cooler is less efficient. . In high humidity areas, they don’t work
at all because the water does not evaporate appreciably and thus the air is not cooled.
The drop in temperature depends on how much water the air can absorb (a function of the
relative humidity), how evenly the pad media is wetted, and how long the air is exposed to the
pad (a factor of turbulence, wetness, and speed of air movement), the evaporability of the water
(both temperature and hardness of the water affect this), and the ability of the building to “vent”
warmer exhaust air back to the atmosphere.
According the US Department of Energy, the difference between the inside air temperature and
the cooled air can be expected to be in the range of 15 to 20 degrees, but the difference can be as
high as 40 degrees in certain conditions. As an added bonus, evaporative coolers provide
incremental cooling effect; since the constant air movement caused by the cooler’s fan actually
makes a room’s temperature feel even cooler.

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You can demonstrate the working principle of dry cooler to yourself by putting on a wet T-shirt
and standing in front of a fan. If you live in a dry climate where humidity is low, you will feel an
immediate cooling, even chilling effect. If you live where humidity is high, you will simply feel
damp. Cooling by evaporation works very efficiently in dry areas, but isn’t worth spit in the
tropics, or any other humid climate. Unlike air conditioning, where people are accustomed to
closing all doors and windows, “to keep the cool air in”, an evaporative cooler requires
adequate ventilation and air flow to distribute the cool air through the home and expel warm,
moist air through window openings.
Evaporative coolers work best when the air they are pulling in is dry. As the humidity in the
outside air increases, the effectiveness of evaporative cooling goes down. In reality, evaporative
coolers work best only in climate is arid and the air is dry. In areas with higher humidity,
evaporative coolers aren't really an option since they'd actually be adding moisture to the air and
there would be no cooling effect. Thus we do not use evaporative cooler every where.
Another drawback to evaporative coolers is they use a substantial amount of water (up to 15
gallons per day) to provide their cooling effect. In dry areas, this consumption can put a real
strain on water supplies.

In spite of the fact that evaporative coolers may not be a cooling option for all of us, there is no
doubt that they do provide energy savings and reduce the risk of damage to the environment. So
even if we all can't use an evaporative cooler, we all do benefit from the energy conservation and
environmental protection they provide.

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Problem statement
Most of our country people who live around hot and dry climate will not use ventilation and
refrigeration system for their home to feel comfort. This is due to the cost of this refrigeration
system. So the problem they are suffering will be reduced by supplying less cost, simple and
easily available products. That is evaporative cooler.

Objective
The objective of this project is:

 Making design analysis for manufacturing evaporative cooler

 Prototype of evaporative cooler

 Testing for its effect

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Methodology
 Collecting data
 Understanding the previous work
 Calculating the flow rate of air and water
 Making design analysis for manufacturing, which includes;
 Calculating the flow rate of air
 Calculating cooling load
 Calculating the flow rate of water
 Determination of the heat transfer area, the so called pad
 Selection of pump
 Selection of fan
 Prototype of evaporative cooler

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Work plan

To accomplish our final senior project , we will follow the following time schedule.

Introduction / background Week1

Literature Review Week 2

Problem statement and objective
Methodology (Design of each mechanical part) Week 3-week5
Drawing Week 6
 Part drawing
 Assembly drawing
Result and Discussion Week 7
Conclusion and Recommendation
Appendixes and Reference
Abstract and Acknowledgement
List of
 Contents
 Table and
 Figure
Prototype Week8 – End

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Budget
The material require for manufacturing of evaporative cooler are;
Steel sheet metal of thickness 1mm
Galvanized grill
Cellulose pad
Fan and pump
Bolt, rivet and electrode
Their respective expanses (cost) is listed below

No Material Quantity Dimension Cost(Birr)

1 Steel sheet metal 1mX2.5M of 1mm 400
thickness
2 Galvanized grill 1mX3m 150

3 Cellulose pad Packed up to 50mm 100

thickX1200mm
4 Fan One centrifugal fan 800
of 5W power
5 Pump One centrifugal pump 1100
6 Bolt 4M,8M 50
7 Rivet 60 5
8 Electrode 10 5
Total 1310

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Reference
1. ASRAE HANDBOOK 1981 FUNDAMENTAL
2. Professor S.Dasai.” Modern refrigeration and air conditioning for Engineers”
3. Dr.R.Bansal.”fliud Mechanics Hydraulic Machine”
4. C.P Arora.”Refrigeration and Air Conditioning” second edition
5. Faye C.Mc question, Jerald D.Parker, Jeffrey D.splitler.”HEATING VENTILATION,
and AIR CONDITIONIG”
6. Wilbert F.soecker/Jerald W.jones, “refrigeration and air conditioning” second edition

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Content page
Abstract …………………………………….……………………… 1
Introduction …………………………………………………………….. 2
Literature review ……………………………………………………………… 3
Problem statement …………………………………………………………….. 5
Objective ..…………………………………………………………… 5
Methodology …………………………………………………………….. 6
Work plan …………………………………………………………….. 7
Budget ……………………………………………………………. 8
Reference …………………………………………………………… 9