Experimental investigation of water to air heat exchanger performance as passive cooling strategy on ventilation system in tropical region

Abstract

This experimental study aims to investigate and analyze the performance of a Water-Air Heat Exchanger that functions as passive cooling in a building ventilation system in the tropics. Before being blown into the room, the high-temperature outdoor air will be passively cooled by the lower-temperature water. Air driven by an Inline Duct Fan with a constant mass flow rate of 4.68 cubic meters per minute flows through a PVC hose as a heat exchanger inserted into a full water reservoir with a diameter of 100 cm and a height of 110 cm. A heat exchanger hose with a diameter of 6.35 cm and a length of 4130 cm is installed in a spiral-circular manner with a total of 16 coils with a diameter of 80 cm to increase the heat transfer effectiveness between water and air. The passive cooling effectiveness is analyzed by decreasing the air temperature between the inlet and outlet of the ventilator after passing through the heat exchanger. The temperature, humidity, and daylight measurement data were carried out for 36 consecutive hours using a multichannel data logger at several locations; ventilator inlet, ventilator outlet, water in the tub, and outside air. The measurement results show that the designed water-to-air heat exchanger provides a significant passive cooling effect and can reduce air temperature to 6.88 °C. By utilizing the passive cooling effect, the cooling energy gain obtained during the measurement period in the ventilation system of this building is 8.3 kWh. The methodology and results of this research are expected to make a positive contribution to the development of the concept of energy-efficient buildings by using passive cooling techniques