Effect of Using Evaporative Condenser Instead of Air Condenser in Window-air Conditioners

In this paper, the application of evaporative cooling for refrigeration cycle to reduce power consumption in hot climates is emphasized. Experimental and analytical investigations were performed in order to specify the effect of evaporative cooling condenser instead of the commonly used air cooling condenser in window-air-conditioners. Evaporative condenser can reject more heat, thereby preventing the reduction of cooling capacity and increasing power consumption of window-air-conditioners during very hot seasons. Two designs were developed for evaporative condensers. In the direct injection design, water is injected on the condenser coil directly while in the media pad design, water is injected on the media pad installed before the condenser. Thermodynamic properties of the systems after modification were measured and compared with the ordinary situation. Analysis of the results show that using these methods, the coefficient of performance increases by about 25% and power consumption decreases by about 13%. It is also anticipated that further modifications in these designs may yield better results