Performance Evaluation of New Designs of Wind Towers

Wind towers are architectural designs employed for natural ventilation and passive cooling of buildings. In this study, it is shown that the performance of these towers can be improved appreciably by incorporating evaporative cooling in them. Two designs, called wetted columns and wetted surfaces, were employed, and their performances were evaluated and compared with those of the conventional towers. It is found that both designs can deliver air to the building they serve at higher flow rates and at temperatures very near the ambient air wet-bulb temperatures. In general, the wind tower with wetted columns performs better in areas with relatively high wind speeds, whereas the designs with wetted surfaces performs better in areas with no winds, or with very low wind speeds.