Evaporative cooling is a heat and mass transfer process that uses water evaporation for air

cooling, in which a large amount of heat is transferred from air to water, and consequently the
air temperature decreases. Evaporativecoolers could be classified into: 1) Direct evaporative
coolers, in which the working fluids (water and air) are indirect contact; 2) Indirect evaporative
coolers, where surface/plate separates between the working fluids; (3)Combined system of
direct and indirect evaporative coolers and/or with other cooling cycles

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?
repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=bc66639fa390d3d1a119b30fb1ebd5dfff626113

Evaporative cooling can be divided into direct and indirect types. Direct evaporative cooling
(DEC) makes use of enthalpy of vaporization to raise the humidity (up to 70 to 90%) while
reducing the dry bulb temperature. Typical DEC follows an isenthalpic process alongside the
psychrometric chart. To sustain the evaporation process, the humidified moist air should be
constantly removed to the ambient.

In IEC, there are two separate channels for primary and working air. The primary air in the dry
channel is sensibly cooled by the working air, which is cooled by the evaporation of water in the
wet channel. The working principle of wet channels is similar to DEC where the working air is in
direct contact with water.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735193321000348

The indirect evaporative cooling system provides only sensible cooling to the processed air without any
moisture addition. In an indirect evaporative cooler, the product air passes the dry channels, and the
working air passes through the wet channels on the opposite side of the heat exchanger plate. The
working air absorbs heat from the product air, and therefore the product air is cooled without adding any
moisture to the air. At the same time, latent heat (related to water evaporation) is transferred to the
working air.

Indirect evaporative coolers consume electricity and water for the production of cooling energy. Their
effectiveness depends on the device geometry and quality of water distribution in wet channels. It should
be emphasized that dew point devices achieve EER values of 40, which is an advantage compared to
typical compressor systems.