Toro GreenTech India

Indirect Direct Evaporative Cooling (IDEC)

In tropical countries like India, summer cooling alone accounts for more than 60% of the annual electrical bill in air conditioned buildings. One of the most practical ways to increase a companys bottom line and practice sustainability is in the area of addressing the energy use for air conditioning these buildings. Conventional air conditioning is energy intensive. Similar to other compressive technologies, efficiency improvements in compressive refrigeration have been incremental and fractional. There seems to be no further possibility of improving the supply side of cooling : compression systems efficiencies. In the present scenario, what can an energy auditor recommend ? What can an energy auditor energy Manger do? What is required is a paradigm shift: Finding new simpler, safer and more energy efficient cooling solution. Indirect-Direct Evaporative Cooling(IDEC), a cost effective and sustainable modern technique for sensible cooling is a recent introduction in the Indian market. Due to this reason, not many Energy Auditors, Energy Managers or HVAC consultants are familiar with the advantages. With wider acceptance and use ,this technology can help companies move towards being not only responsive to sustainability but also save substantially on their operating costs. The worlds largest retailer, Wal-Mart has recently installed IDEC systems at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Las Vegas. When the largest retailer in the richest country can decide to opt for the IDEC systems, others businesses are sure to follow. How the IDEC systems work? The IDEC systems work by cooling the air in a two-stage process. The first stage is the indirect cooling stage where the hot outside air passes through an air to air, polymer plate, heat exchanger where the sensible heat is removed. First stage cools the air without adding moisture; it has the advantage of lowering the dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperature without the use of compressors. This cooled air then goes through the direct evaporative cooling stage where the air is adiabatically cooled by passing through an evaporative media that is designed to be 95 percent efficient. Indirectly cooled air passes through the evaporative cooling media; the system is designed such that 95% of the balance sensible heat is exchanged for latent heat while simultaneously lowering the leaving air temperature. Once this takes place, the air can now be moved through the facility where it is designed to pick up the internal heat and provide a continuous stream of cool and fresh outdoor air.

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What are the great advantages? Reason 1- Energy efficiency The first reason to consider IDEC systems is the energy efficiency of the systems when compared to conventional standard compressive air-conditioners. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) points out those systems that use efficient Indirect evaporative Heat Exchangers can lower energy consumption by 50 to 75% or more when compared to standard packaged air conditioning. So the energy saving of the order of 50 to 75%, depending on the location and type of systems used, will positively impact the bottom line of the enterprise. Many power utility companies may soon be offering incentives to businesses that implement this effective IDEC cooling technology. It is a win-win situation for both. User gets uninterrupted power at lower cost as the utility company does not fork out high premium on power purchase during transitory summer load peaks. Reason 2 Lowest Connected loads A second significant benefit is that these systems reduce the connected load by 50 to 75% as the systems use only fans and low wattage pumps in place of power intensive refrigerant compressors. IDEC systems not only reduce the connected load and subsequent demand charges but also reduce the backup power owning and operating costs. The Indirect-Direct Evaporative Cooling method produces desirable temperatures at the lowest capital and operating costs by taking advantage of the free cooling properties of ambient air and water.

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Reason 3- CFC-free cooling Another significant benefit is that these systems are Ozone friendly and free from environmentally damaging products. The Indirect-Direct Evaporative Cooling method produces desirable temperatures by circulating small amount of water and ambient air instead of compressing refrigerants to transfer heat from indoors to ambient. Because these systems rely on water and use electrical energy only for ventilation, they leave a significantly smaller carbon footprint and therefore offer a sustainable method of cooling. Reason 4 Water savings. The indirect-direct systems use 40% less water to provide most acceptable cooling, even when compared with Direct Evaporative cooling, a highly prevalent but poor performing technology. When comparing water saving with conventional air conditioning, it may not seem like the case at first glance. However, when the additional electricity needed for conventional air conditioning systems in high temperature ambient is considered, an indirect-direct system uses approximately 50 percent less water. This is because power companies primarily rely on large cooling towers and water reservoir to produce electricity.

Reason 5 Competitive Life cycle cost. An indirect-direct evaporative cooling system has a very competitive initial cost. This means that the savings that an indirect-direct system provides by cutting the operation cost (sometimes in half) and decreasing power back up and maintenance costs leads to real long-term savings at virtually little additional initial cost. CONCLUSION Energy efficiency, environmentally friendly CFC-free technology, substantial water savings, and competitive initial cost make indirect-direct evaporative systems an attractive and timely choice for meeting the cooling demands of today. Some forward thinking HVAC consultants in India have already started evaluating and recommending IDEC systems for their new projects. Energy manager and auditors, on the other hand, can help business owners accordingly. They can tell these owners that not only will this method of cooling increase a companys bottom line; it will do so without sacrificing the principles of sustainability.