Abstract
A theoretical model is developed to establish an in-depth understanding of the performance of a three-stage wind tower with a bypass system for indoor cooling in rural dry and hot climates. Model simulations are presented for a wide range of ambient conditions that include inlet wind speed, inlet temperature and relative humidity. Simulation results provide an insight into the desirable water flow rates and air-to-water loadings for comfort zone temperatures and relative humidity levels at the exit of the wind tower. Simulations show wind towers with variable cross-sections provide an increase in the cooling power for the same inlet wind speed, inlet air temperature and relative humidity when compared to wind towers with a constant cross-section. The study shall lead to a better understanding to designing wind towers that are both environmentally friendly and energy efficient.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bahadori, M.N., “Passive cooling systems in Iranian architecture,” Scientific American, Vol. 238, No. 2, pp. 144–154, 1978.
Bahadori, M.N., “An improved design of wind towers for natural ventilation and passive cooling,” Solar Energy, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 119–129, 1985.
Yaghoubi, M.A., Sabzevari, A., and Golneshan, A.A., “Wind towers: measurement and performance,” Solar Energy, Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 97–106, 1991.
Batty, W.J., Al-Hinai, H., and Probert, S.D., “Natural cooling techniques for residential buildings in hot climates,” Applied Energy, Vol. 39, pp.301–337, 1991.
Bahadori, M.N., “Viability of wind towers in achieving summer comfort in the hot arid regions of the Middle East,” Renewable Energy, Vol. 5,Part II, pp. 879–892, 1994.
Badran, A., “Performance of cool towers under various climates in Jordan,” Energy and Buildings, Vol. 35, pp. 1031–1035, 2003.
Nouanegue, H.F., Alandji, L.R., and Bilgen, E., “Numerical study of solar-wind tower systems for ventilation of dwellings,” Renewable Energy, Vol. 33, pp. 434–443, 2008.
Bansal, N.K., Mathur, R., and Bhandari, M.S., “A study of solar chimney assisted wind tower system for natural ventilation in buildings,” Building and Environment, Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 495–500, 1994.
Cunningham, W.A., and Thompson, T.L., “Passive cooling with natural draft cooling towers in combination with solar chimney,” Proceedings of the Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Hungarian Ministry of Industry, pp. 23–34, 1986.
Bahadori, M.N., Mazidi, M., and Dehghani, A.R., “Experimental investigation of new designs of wind towers,” Renewable Energy, Vol. 33, pp. 2273–2281, 2008.
Pearlmutter, D., Erell, E., and Etzion, Y., “A multi-stage down-draft evaporative cool tower for semi-enclosed spaces: Experiments with a water spraying system,” Solar Energy, Vol. 82, pp. 430–440, 2008.
Belarbi, R., Ghiaus, C., and Allard, F., “Modeling of water spray evaporation: Application to passive cooling of buildings,” Solar Energy, Vol. 80, pp. 1540–1552, 2006.
Givoni, B., “Comfort, climate analysis and building design guidelines,” Energy and Buildings, Vol. 18, pp. 11–23, 1992.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Issa, R.J., Chang, B. Performance prediction of a multi-stage wind tower for indoor cooling. J. Therm. Sci. 21, 327–335 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-012-0551-4
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-012-0551-4