Cooling Towers anyone?

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Permalink Reply by nik on October 25, 2007 at 3:36pm

Hi Elke. Not sure if this is what you are talking about, but manufactured evaporative cooling units are one approach (most effective for dry climates like Harbin, as opposed to coastal, more humid conditions). But these can be designed and constructed creatively in-situ basically following the principle of air blowing through a damp wick (ie. fan+wick+reservoir)

These lower ambient temperature to comfortable levels and are extremely efficient, though not as strong as AC (which is extremely inefficient in terms of power / resources)

The principle of evaporative cooling can be combined with Wind catchers / scoops / towers (of traditional Persian desert architecture) which are an extremely elegant and time tested solution requiring no power or mechanical parts!

You can search for passive solar designers familiar with this approach or look up Nadir Khalili of www.calearth.org who is an architect and proponent of these approaches in earth architecture.

You could also contact me (www.earthrisedesign.com) and I might be able to help if you have more specific design criteria for the project.

Hope that helps

Nik

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Permalink Reply by Elke on October 29, 2007 at 4:30pm

Hi Nik -

Thank you so much for your response!
It seemed like not many people have heard about this.
And I am not sure whether we will be able to use this system, just wanted to get informed.
We are far from any design stage, just exploring possibilities/alternatives. But since we have never seen a cooling tower nor know how to build one, it is difficult to move in this direction.

Is it working by blowing cool air or cool water through tubes?

So, do you know Harbin? If so, can you see a system like this near mainside?

Have you or Nadir built one already or do you know anyone who has?

Thank you again for your efforts,
Elke

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Permalink Reply by nik on October 29, 2007 at 5:32pm

Hi Elke - as it happens, you just caught me in transit - I am on the road, out in the desert on the Big Bend of the Rio Grande (Tex/Mex border) studying some of these architectural practices. I do have more details and examples to offer you, but i'll have to get back to you probably in two weeks from now. It might well be an ideal opportunity to employ some of theses ideas at Harbin. I have seen a number utilized simply and effectively and it is an increasingly common "alternative" (revalued) practice.
ciao for now.
Nik

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Permalink Reply by John Coate on October 31, 2007 at 5:04pm

What you are talking about is often called a 'swamp cooler'. Like Nik said, they run water past something that wicks it and air blows past that into the house. They are what people used before A/C. My brother has one in his house in Placerville. His wick is straw. They do work well for dry climates. here is a link to an article from someone who had to replace one: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5823/buying_and_using_a_sw...

Otherwise I think they are pretty easy to install on a roof. then you need some ducting.

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Permalink Reply by Elke on November 8, 2007 at 11:14am

Yes, thank you, John, for replying. I'm not just looking for a swamp cooler, but a central chiller, must be something like a giant swamp cooler that can supply several buildings. I need an expert on this, someone who can design and also build it.

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Permalink Reply by Karyn Wolf Lynn on November 8, 2007 at 6:05pm

Dear Elke, when I visited Zion National Park, they had two passive cooling towers built into their visitor center that used wind and water to circulate cool air. I didn't pay much attention to them at the time, but they came to mind when I saw your posting.

By the way, I'll be up at Harbin tubbing for Thanksgiving. Yipee!

Karyn

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Permalink Reply by Elke on November 9, 2007 at 11:28am

Thank you, Karyn, for the tip! I'll check it out.
enjoy your stay at Harbin!
Elke

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Permalink Reply by nik on November 23, 2007 at 11:01pm

"In old Cairene housess the function of ventilation in the principal halls is performed by a devise called the malkaf that catches the wind high up, where it is strong and clean, and by a special design of the room, with the central part very high, that lets hot air escape at the top. Such a wind catch may be set at precisely the right angle to catch the wind, irrespective of the orientation of the house.

The wind catch as used in the schools we built in Gourna consisted of a chimney-like air passage with a large opening high up facing the prevailing wind. Set inside it was a sloping metal tray filled with charcoal that could be wetted; the air flowed over this baffle and was thus cooled before entering the room. This devise is reminiscent of the salsabil that stands in the halls of old Arab houses - this is a slab of marble curved with a wave pattern, with fountain water trickling down it. In future applications of the wind catch principle the cooling baffle might be left visible and made of some absorbent material with a pleasing pattern on it, like a salsabil. At Gourna the wind catch produced a drop in temperature inside the classroom of 10ºC"

That's 50ºF !!

from "Architecture for the Poor" by Hassan Fathy p49-50

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