Investigation and performance analysis of a hybrid cooling system of air underground channel and direct evaporative cooler

In the present paper, cooling performance of a hybrid system of air underground channel and direct evaporative cooler to provide cooling load for residential spaces was investigated in summer and its performance evaluation was studied for Tehran,Iran. The study was performed in hottest day of the year in Tehran which has hot and dry condition. At first, mathematical modeling of the hybrid system components was developed then by using the mathematical modeling, outlet air temperature distribution of any component of the proposed hybrid system was calculated. The obtained results imply that air temperature drops about 10°C in underground air channel and 6°C in direct evaporative cooler. andAccording to the obtained temperatures and thermal comfort zone, it was found that the hybrid system is capable in the hottest days of the year to provide thermal comfort for the residental occupants in Tehran. Then, by calculation of the system efficiency, it was found that the efficiency is more than 1 which indicate high performance of the hybrid system. Eventually by comparison between efficiency of the hybrid system and direct evaporative cooler it was found that efficiency of the hybrid system is 45 percent more than direct evaporative cooler. Also the system efficiency is higher than conventional mechanical systems efficiency and it is eco-friendly because of the system is passive. Thus according to present work, the proposed hybrid cooling system could be a suitable alternative for conventional HVAC systems.