The Thermal Performance of the Cross-Flow Three-Dimensional Flat Plate Indirect Evaporative Cooler

Evaporative coolers consist of two main types: (a) the direct evaporative cooler in which water mixes with the air to be cooled; and (b) the indirect evaporative cooler in which water is sprayed into alternate passages cooling the secondary airflow, which in turns cools the primary flow which then passes to the building to be cooled. A three-dimensional numerical evaluation of the indirect cooler is given. Energy and mass balance equations are derived for the primary and secondary flows and the effectiveness is calculated for different variable inlet velocities and compared with experimental values.