Unit – 03 _ PASSIVE COOLING

– Evaporative cooling
– Nocturnal Radiation cooling
– Desiccant cooling
– Induced ventilation
– Earth sheltering
– Wind tower
– Air tunnels
The term "passive" implies
that energy-consuming
mechanical components
like pumps and fans are not
used.
To achieve thermal comfort
in the summer in a more
sustainable way, one should
use the three-tier design
approach.
 Today,
with high energy costs and growing environmental
concerns, many of these simpler techniques are once again
becoming attractive.
Passive cooling systems rely on natural heat-sinks to remove
heat from the building. They derive cooling directly from
evaporation, convection and radiation without using any
intermediate electrical devices.
All passive cooling strategies rely on daily changes in
temperature and relative humidity. The applicability of each
system depends on the climatic conditions.
The underlying principle of passive cooling is to prevent
heat from (or at least reduce heat flux) entering the
building, or remove heat once it has entered.
These design strategies reduce heat gains to internal
spaces.

Reduction of solar and connective heat import by

• orientation of building
• shading by adjoining building
• landscaping
• window shading devices
• surface finishes

Reduction of heat transmission in the building by

• thermal insulation
• air cavities
Passive cooling systems are least expensive means
of cooling a home which maximizes the efficiency
of the building envelope without any use of
mechanical devices.

The primary focus of passive cooling is:

• Slow heat transfer into the house.
• Remove unwanted heat from the building.
Heat Gain Control Heat Loss Control
Site considerations : Direct Loss
Location Natural and Induced ventilation
Orientation Openable walls and roofs
Vegetation Interior water bodies
Land massing Desiccant mass
Architectural Features : Indirect Loss
Building Envelope Trombe wall
Surface/Volume Ratio Water wall
Screens, Shades Roof pond
Overhangs Double wall
Weather skin Features : Double roof
Insulation Isolated Loss
Material type Coolth
Finishes Field
Coolth
Direct Loss
Indirect Loss
Isolated Loss
 Advantage of Passive Solar Design

•Eliminate heating and cooling costs

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Clean process
• Eco-friendly
• Attractive living environment
• Low maintenance
• Good comfort
 Disadvantage of Passive Solar Design

•Great deal of work for the engineers to arrange

this system.
• All systems are not same.
• Careful construction required
• Improperly designed not work well
• Sunshine not available all day
• Extra heat and the higher temperatures
 Few Methods of Passive Cooling
Natural Ventilation
Natural ventilation is the process of supplying and
removing air through a space by natural means. It can be
achieved with
openable windows. It uses outdoor air flow caused by
pressure differences between the building and its
surrounding to provide ventilation and space cooling.
Natural ventilation and air movement can be simply
achieved by ‘structural controls’ as it does not depends on
any form of external energy supply or mechanical
installation.
When not to use natural ventilation?

•If we consider a building situated in heavy traffic zone

with high level of noise, natural ventilation is less suitable
in this situation, because large openings will make it tough
to block exterior noise. (Sometimes it can be solved using
acoustical ventilation louvers).

•Sites with poor air quality is not desirable to implement

natural ventilation. It can be solved using filters and
ducting, but usually it requires mechanical fan systems,
which will either make it artificial ventilation or hybrid
ventilation.
DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES TO ACHIEVE
NATURAL VENTILATION:-

• STACK EFFECT

• WIND TOWER

• COURTYARD EFFECT

• SOLAR CHIMNEY
 WIND TOWER
A wind tower or wind catcher is an architectural device used for
many centuries to create natural ventilation in buildings. The
function of this tower is to catch cooler breeze that prevail at a higher
level above the ground and to direct it into the interior of the
buildings. Examples of wind catchers can be found in traditional
Persian influenced architecture throughout the Middle East , Pakistan
and Afghanistan.
• Air enters in wind tower through openings cooled
down- becomes heavier and sinks down (presence of air movement)
• After whole day air exchange – tower becomes warm in the evening
.
• Tower walls absorbs heat during daytime and releases at night
warming cool night air at night.
Typical Wind Tower section
 The tower may have only one opening facing the
wind, if wind is predominantly in one direction, or
may have openings in all directions in locations
with variable wind directions.
A wind tower operates in various ways according
to the time of day and the presence or absence of
wind.
The cardinal principle of its operation lies in
changing the temperature and thereby the density of
the air in and around the tower.
Working principle of a Wind Tower
Working at Day time :
The hot ambient air coming in contact with the cool
upper part of the tower gets cooled. It becomes cold and
dense, and sinks through the tower and into the living
spaces, replacing the hot air.
In the presence of wind, the air is cooled more
effectively and flows faster down the tower and into the
living area.
It must be noted that the temperature of the tower soon
reaches that of the ambient air and hence, in the absence of
wind, the downward flow ceases, the tower then begins to
act like a chimney.
The operation of the tower depends greatly on the
ambient fluctuations like the wind velocity, air temperature
Working at Night time :
The tower area is so designed that the top part provides
large heat storage capacity, and also has a large surface area
for heat transfer.
The tower walls and the internal walls of the air-flow
passages absorb heat during the day and release it at night,
warming the cool night air in the tower.
Warm air moves up creating an upward draft and is
exhausted through the openings. The pressure difference
thus created pulls the cool night air through the doors and
windows into the building. In the absence of wind, the
tower acts as a chimney.
The nocturnal radiation through the roof and the external
walls brings about further cooling.
 EVAPORATIVE COOLING
SYSTEM IN TORRENT
RESEARCH CENTRE,
(AHMEDABAD)

Section of the building

View of the Wind Tower

Plan of the building

 Evaporative Cooling

Evaporative downdraft cooling towers implement a

specific application of natural ventilation in which dry
outdoor air enters high inlets and passes through a series
of wetted evaporative pads (or misters), which cool the
air as it picks up moisture.
 Evaporation results from contact between air and water.
A control system operates the water pump and the fan
distributes the cool air.
The relative humidity is lowest in the afternoon when the
temperature is at its highest.
And the lower the humidity, the better the evaporative
cooling effect.
 Evaporative cooling is reduction in temperature resulting
from the evaporation of a liquid, which removes latent heat
from the surface from which evaporation takes place.
This process is employed in industrial and domestic
cooling
systems, and is also the physical basis of sweating.
• Historically, water has been used in the form of fountains
and
cascades to improve the thermal comfort of buildings.
• Evaporation of water helps to passively cool buildings,
reducing the energy needed for air conditioning.
 Evaporative cooling is a passive cooling technique in
which outdoor air is cooled by evaporating water before it
is introduced in the building. Its physical principle lies in
the fact that the sensible heat of air is used to evaporate
water, thus cooling the air, which in turn cools the living
space in the building.
An increase in the proportion of the contact area
between water and air enhances the rate of evaporation and
thereby the potential for cooling.
The presence of a water body such as a pond, lake or sea
near the building, or a fountain in the courtyard can provide
a cooling effect.
High evaporation may result in discomfort due to high
humidity. However, passive evaporative cooling can also
be indirect −
the roof can be cooled with a pond, wetted pads or spray,
and the ceiling transformed into a cooling element that
cools the space below by convection and radiation without
raising the
indoor humidity.
OBJECTIVES AND BENEFITS
• To attain comfort zone by modification in present
existing system.
• As Air conditioner consumes more power( approx.
15-20KW) Emits harmful gases such as CFC and
much costly., By using application of passive down
drought evaporative cooling tower in desert cooler ,
and could be better substitute of A.C.
• Thus this method solves this problems and is
efficient as well as economical and tends to provide
comfort zone.
APPLICATION AND COST
• Evaporative cooling systems are suitable for residential,
industrial and commercial buildings; especially in areas
with
big open spaces that encourages air circulation. Integration
of
evaporative cooling systems with other active systems are
dependent on site conditions. Filters to purify polluted air,
humidifiers to maintain the humidity or other active
systems
can be installed in tandem with evaporative cooling.

• Initial building cost is generally higher, as there is a need

to
 Desiccant cooling
The Desiccant cooling system takes air from outside or
from the building, dehumidifies it with a solid or liquid
desiccant, cools it by heat. The desiccant must be
regenerated by heat. This can be achieved with solar energy
from solar air collectors or liquid collectors.
Desiccant : substance that
promotes drying

Dehumidify : Remove moisture

from air or gas
 A desiccant material naturally attracts moisture from
gases and liquid. The material becomes as moisture by
collecting the moisture on the surface.
• Solid desiccant include silica gel, activated alumina,
lithium chlorate salt and molecular sieves.
• Liquid desiccant include lithium chlorate, lithium
bromide, calcium chloride and triethylene glycol solution.

A desiccant cooling system therefore, comprises

principally of three components namely
•the regeneration heat source,
•the dehumidifier (desiccant material) and
•the cooling unit.
 For effective use of evaporative cooling techniques in
hot and humid climate a desiccant material based rotary
wheel can be utilized as a dehumidifier.
•In a solid desiccant dehumidification system, the moisture
(latent load) in the process air is removed by a desiccant
dehumidifier.
•The temperature (sensible load) of the dried process air is
lowered to the desired comfort conditions by sensible
coolers.
• The latent and sensible loads are handled separately and
more effectively in components designed to remove the
total load.
 A desiccant is a substance, either solid or liquid, which
absorbs water molecules from air and dehumidifies it.
The desiccant, initially used to absorb moisture from the
air, is later regenerated by heating the desiccant so that it
releases the absorbed moisture. This phase change cycle is a
continuous process that drives the operation of desiccant
systems.

Two basic categories of desiccant systems are:

Open desiccant systems where desiccant comes into direct
contact with the air for the process of dehumidification.
Closed desiccant systems where desiccant is confined to a
closed chamber and dehumidifies air indirectly.
 To make the system working continually, water
vapour adsorbed must be driven out of the desiccant
material (regeneration) so that it can be dried
enough to adsorb water vapour in the next cycle.
This is done by heating the desiccant material to its
temperature of regeneration which is dependent
upon the nature of the desiccant used.
 Nocturnal Radiative cooling

Nocturnal - Primarily active during the night

(taking place in the night)

Radiative- Relating to or occurring through radiation

Cooling - A decrease in temperature

Nocturnal cooling, also called night sky cooling, is the

cooling of a building by radiation to the night sky. The roof
of a building absorbs the greatest amount of solar radiation
during summer.
Working principle of Nocturnal Radiation
Cooling
 Nocturnal radiation cooling refers to cooling by exposure
of any element of the external envelope of the building to a
cool night sky.
Heat loss occurs by emission of long wavelength radiation,
and hence surfaces should ideally have high emissivity. The
presence of clouds at night limit the amount of heat that can
be radiated to the outer space, but on a clear night, the
effective sky temperature can be significantly lower than the
ambient air temperature.
The heat accumulated during the day is lost by
radiation to the cool night air, thereby cooling the
envelope.
The envelope thus acts as cold storage during the day,
 The method works efficiently in arid climates, where
ambient temperatures in the night are significantly lower than
the day temperatures.
Nocturnal radiation cooling works without consuming any
water, unlike evaporative cooling systems.
The roof, being the part exposed to the sky, is the most
effective long wave radiator.
The rate of heat exchange depends on the temperature
difference between the emitting surface and the surrounding
atmosphere.
The roof pond is an example of the concept of nocturnal
radiation cooling . In this system, a mass of water is stored on
the roof of the building.
Working principle of Roof Pond
 Another way of using nocturnal radiation cooling
is to expose lightweight radiators to the night sky.
Through these radiators, a fluid is circulated which
gets cooled. The cooled
fluid can be used to cool a thermal storage system at
night. The cold storage can be used the following day
for space cooling.
 Induced Ventilation

Passive cooling by induced ventilation can be very

effective in hot and humid climates as well as hot and
dry climates.
This method involves the heating of air in a
restricted area through solar radiation, thus creating
a temperature difference and causing air
movements.
The draft causes hot air to rise and escape to the
ambient, drawing in cooler air and thereby causing
cooling.
The cooling effect can be
enhanced by providing
evaporative cooling. A pool of
water is usually kept on the
floor directly below the vents
so that the air flowing into the
room gets cooled, in turn
cooling the living space. The
air vents are usually provided
with protective caps which
help to direct the winds across
them.
 Earth Air Tunnel
The earth-air pipe system consists of a pipe of
appropriate dimensions buried at a depth of about 4 to 5m
in the ground. Ambient air is blown through it by a blower
at one end
of the pipe. The other end is connected to the building to
which it supplies conditioned air.
Ambient air flowing through the pipe gets cooled
(in summer) or heated up (in winter) before entering the
living space of a building.
By using an earth-air pipe system, energy and peak load
requirements for space conditioning of a building can be
significantly reduced. This would lead to energy
conservation.
The Earth Air Tunnel systems utilizes the heat-storing
capacity of earth.
• It depends on the ambient temperature of the location, this
system can be used to provide both cooling during the
summer and heating during winter.
• The tunnels would be especially useful for large buildings
with ample surrounding ground.
• The system can not be cost effective for small individual
residential buildings.
• The ground temperature remains constant and air if
pumped in appropriate amount that allows sufficient contact
time for the heat transfer to the medium attains the same
temperature as the
 Working Principle of Earth Air Tunnel

•Earth acts as a source or sink.

•High thermal Inertia of soil results in air
temperature fluctuations being dampened deeper in
the ground.
•Utilizes Solar Energy accumulated in the soil.
•Cooling/Heating takes place due to a temperature
difference between the soil and the air.
 Factors affecting Thermal conductivity in Soil
•Moisture content
•Dry density
•Mineral
composition
•Vegetation
This system can be used in either:
•Closed loop system
•Open loop system 
Open loop system
Outdoor air is
drawn into tubes
and delivered to
AHUs or directly
to the inside of the
building
Closed loop system
Interior air circulates
through EATs
Increases efficiency
Reduces problem
with humidity
condensing inside
tubes.
Earth Air Tunnel
The performance of the earth-air pipe system depends on
the rate of heat transfer between the air and
surrounding earth, which in turn is governed by the
resistances offered by:
(i) the convection between air and inner surface of the pipe,
(ii) conduction through the thickness of the pipe wall, and
(iii) conduction through the surrounding earth.
Thus, the performance of the earth-air pipe system depends
on
• system parameters (depth of the pipe from the earth's
surface, its length and radius, thermal conductivity of the
pipe material, and air speed through the pipe)
• soil parameters surrounding the pipe (thermal
conductivity, specific heat, density and moisture content)
• weather conditions (solar radiation, ambient temperature)