A.C. and Swamp Cooler

[Dymalica]

We have a shop where they teach people to work on automobiles. It uses a swamp cooler for cooling and they say it gets really warm in there. We are thinking of installing an air conditioning unit but are wondering if they would just fight each other since one humidifies and the other dehumidifies. What is your experience?

 

[Waramanga]

the swap cooler humidifies 100% outside air, whereas reverse cycle does the exact opposite, dehumidifies with very little outside air. It is either one or the other, they do not work together at all.

 

[mauricestoker]

It would seem to depend on the humidity. You could use the swamp cooler with RH control, which should greatly help if hot and dry. Put the setpoint at the RH corresponding to the desired DB/WB off the AC unit. You'll get less loading off the swamp, but it could act as a humidifier and save run time on the AC when weather is temperate.

 

[EastCoastRob]

It depends on the climate, it depends on the size of the room, it depends on their definition of "warm", and it depends on what's going on in that auto shop. A large lighting and motor load could be causing the heat problem.

There also may be a large make-up air load if exhaust fans are running during occupied hours. Unless this air is also conditioned, the outside air load may be the issue.

 

[mauricestoker]

ASHRAE Journal has an article this month on use of direct evaporative cooling.

 

[sridhar1312]

SWAMP cooler(adiabatic cooling)are most suited for dry climate that is where wet bulb depression is large(Difference between the dry bulb and wet bulb temperature).

Wherever SWAMP coolers are used at least 80% of the room air to be exhausted(displacement so that Humidity build up does not happen.

There is no point in adding the air conditioner there instead you can chill the water that is being sprayed on the swamp cooler so that the wet bulb depression improves giving better cooling.

 

[ChrisConley]

You could use a two stage hybrid system. Don't know what your swamp cooler looks like, but Munters shows some interesting applications of combined adiabatic cooling and standard cooling.

http://www.munters.us/en/us/Products--Services/HumiCool-Division/

Indirect evaporative cooling would be one way to continue to use the swamp coolers (exhaust stream is cooled by the swamp coolers, a heat transfer device; heat pipe, coils, etc) moves the 'cool' over to supply airstream. DX cooling takes you the rest of the way there.