Air Ambiator : Cost Effective Air-Conditioning
Description
An Indian company with long expertise in energy efficiency and eco friendly technologies has developed air ambiator, a low-cost, low energy intensive alternative to conventional air conditioning systems and is appropriate for most air-cooling applications. Unlike most compressor based air conditioning systems using CFCs, the ambiator does not use a compressor.
The ambiator available in 1 tonne modules, can be used in almost any industry where there is a need for either cooling or pressurisation or dust proofing a particular area. When compared with conventional air-conditioning, which can maintain a temperature of 24-24 degree C and 30-60% relative humidity (rH), the Ambiator can provide 26 degree C for 96% of the time throughtout the year and rH in the range of 60-70%.
The air ambiator works on the principle of two-stage evaporative cooling:
Stage 1: Sensible heat exchanger: The air from the atmosphere is sucked in through 20 micron dust fillers and is forced across a heat recuperater consisting of a cross-flow, wet plate plastic heat exchanger with an efficiency of 60%. This air is never in direct contact with the water passing through the other side of the heat exchanger. The wet side of the exchanger is covered with a hydrophilic material, which maintains a thin film of water that evaporates when the sensible heat of the water is transferred to the wet side. A portion of the cooled air picks up the evaporating water and exhausts it out. About 15-20% of the air is used up this way. The air that comes off the heat exchanger is significantly colder than the ambient air.
Stage 2: Adiabetic heat exchanger: The air coming out of the heat recuperater is passed through an evaporative cooling module, which consists of a durable cellulose media (a honeycomb) and an adiabetic exchanger constantly kept wet with a water drip. Part of the sensible heat in the air is converted into latent heat and the air is finally delivered into the conditioned space at a significantly lower temperature than the intake.
Areas of Application
Energy efficiency, Air-conditioning, Electrical
Advantages
Advantages: The major advantage of air ambiator systems is its high power savings. The average energy efficiency ratio of the ambiator system varies from 30-50 BTUs (British Therrmal Units)/Watt for comfort cooling applications. This is equivalent to 80% power saving when compared with conventional air-conditioning systems.
Stage of Development
It is a commercialised technology.
Economic Data
Can be arranged on request
Transfer Forms
Know-how and Technology licensing outside India. In India Franchising Arrangement can be considered
Main Application
Energy
For further information please contact
Technology Bureau for Small Enterprises
APCTT Building, Qutub Institutional Area
P.O. Box - 4575
New Delhi - 110016, India
