Publication: Development of roof evaporative cooling system
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Date
2024-07-11
Authors
Nor Zubaidah binti S Raja Saleem
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Abstract
In Malaysia’s challenging tropical climate, maintaining cool and comfortable building is a critical concern particularly during the peak heat months of April, May and June where the temperature average 30.5℃, reaching as high as 31.3℃. A significant contributor to indoor heat gain is solar radiation absorbed by roofs which then transfers heat into buildings necessitating increased air conditioning and exacerbating the greenhouse effect. Addressing these issues, an intelligent roof evaporative cooling system solution is designed to reduce roof temperatures by leveraging the natural heat absorption process of water evaporation. This system offers lower energy consumption, cost efficiency and environmental friendliness by using water instead of refrigerants compared to the traditional air conditioners. The performance of the designed system is investigated through experiment and simulation. To design the system, Computer Aided Design (CAD) which is SolidWorks were used to analyze the proposed design and system. Cost and mechanical qualities were two of the many considerations that went into choosing the materials for each component of the design. Besides, the evaporative cooling system is also analyze using SolidWorks Software. The stress analysis of the airduct channel was known and the airflow simulation to investigate the temperature change was also known by using SolidWorks software. Besides, the intelligent roof evaporative cooling system's performance was evaluated through both experimental and simulation methods from SolidWorks Software under varying solar intensities. Experiments used different lighting sources to replicate solar intensities of 855 W/m², 700 W/m², and 480 W/m². A portable halogen projector is used for replicating the high solar intensity the system reduced the roof temperature from 39°C to 28°C in about 4 hours using all six diffusers. At moderate intensity with room light, the temperature dropped from 28°C to 26.8°C in 40 minutes using four diffusers and stabilized at 26.5°C with two diffusers. Comparatively, the simulations showed temperature reductions of 4.6°C, 3.4°C, and 1.4°C for solar intensities of 855 W/m², 700 W/m², and 480 W/m², respectively. Both approaches demonstrated the system's efficiency in reducing and maintaining lower temperatures, outperforming other methods like water spray nozzles and radiant barriers. The results underscore the system's practical application in maintaining comfort and reducing energy consumption by selectively activating diffusers based on the cooling requirement.