Techno-economic assessment for viability of some waste as cooling pads in evaporative cooling system
Keywords:
evaporative cooling, agricultural residues, passive cooling, cooling effectiveness, cooling padsAbstract
The viability of some waste as cooling pads for evaporative cooling application in South-Western Nigeria was experimentally assessed. This is to ascertain their effectiveness as a substitute for costly imported pads in a low income environment. Also presented was the feasibility of utilizing standalone evaporative coolers for storage and selling of fruits in South-Western Nigeria. Natural ambient air was forced through the various pads at three different fan speeds and constant cooling pad thickness of 30 mm. Performance characteristics were considered based on daily analysis using temperature and humidity data measured from morning to evening at location co-ordinates latitude 7°10′N and longitude 5°05′E for 6 weeks. The daily temperature T and humidity h ranged between 26°C≤T≤45°C and 28% ≤ h2 ≤ 80%. Temperature difference ΔT and humidity difference Δh of 0.6°C≤ ΔT ≤ 18.3ºC and 1.0% ≤ Δh ≤ 53% was achieved for the four cooling pad materials tested at three fan speeds. Highest ΔT and Δh was recorded at fan speed of 4 m/s with shredded latex foam and jute sack respectively. The cooling efficiency (η) calculated for all the pads under the three speeds ranged from 17.3% ≤ η ≤98.8%. Payback period (PBP) analysis indicated the considered EVC is economically feasible and investors will break even in 1.75 years. Keywords: evaporative cooling, agricultural residues, passive cooling, cooling effectiveness, cooling pads DOI: 10.3965/j.ijabe.20150802.952References
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Ndukwu C, Manuwa S, Olukunle O, Oluwalana B. A simple model for evaporative cooling system of a storage space in a tropical climate. Scientific Journal Agricultural Engineering, 2013; 3: 27–39.
[2] Anyanwu E E. Design and measured performance of a porous evaporative cooler for preservation of fruits and vegetables. Energy Conversion and Management, 2004; 45(13): 2187–2195.
[3] Manuwa S I, Odey S O. Evaluation of pads and geometrical shapes for constructing evaporative cooling system. Modern Applied Science, 2012; 6(6): 45–53.
[4] Ndukwu M C. Development of clay evaporative cooler for fruits and vegetables preservation. Agricultural Engineering International: CIGR Journal, 2011; 13(1): 1–8.
[5] Mogaji T S, Fapetu O P. Development of an evaporative cooling system for the preservation of fresh vegetables. African Journal of Food Science, 2011; 5(4): 255–266.
[6] Lertsatitthanakorn C, Rerngwongwitaya S, Soponronnarit S. Field experiments and economic evaluation of an evaporative cooling system in a silkworm rearing house. Biosystems Engineering, 2006; 93(2): 213–219. doi: 10.1016/ j.biosystemseng.2005.12.003
[7] Jain D. Development and testing of two-stage evaporative cooler. Building and Environment, 2007; 42(7): 2549–2554. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.07.034
[8] Al-Sulaiman F. Evaluation of the performance of local fibers in evaporative cooling. Energy Conversion and Management, 2002; 43(16): 2267–2273.
[9] Ndukwu M C, Manuwa S I, Olukunle O J, Oluwalana, I. B. Development of an active evaporative cooling system for short-term storage of fruits and vegetable in a tropical climate. Agricultural Engineering International: CIGR Journal, 2013; 15(4): 307–313.
[10] Adaramola M S, Oyewola M O, Ohunakin O S, Akinnawonu O O. Performance evaluation of wind turbines for energy generation in Niger Delta, Nigeria. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 2014(6): 75–85.
[11] Ohunakin S O. Wind resources in North-East geopolitical Zone, Nigeria: An assessment of the monthly and seasonal characteristics. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2011; 15(4): 1977–1987.
[12] Mostafaeipour A. Economic evaluation of small wind turbine utilization in Kerman, Iran. Energy Conversion and Management, 2013; 73(5): 214–225.
[13] Tze S O, Chun H T. Net Present Value and Payback Period for Building Integrated Photovoltaic Projects in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2013; 3(2): 153–171.
[14] Tilahun S W. Feasibility and economic evaluation of low-cost evaporative cooling system in fruit and vegetables storage. African Journal of Food, Agriculture Nutrition and Development, 2010; 10(8): 2984–2997.
[15] NERC. Nigeria Electricity Regulation Commission. http://www.punchng.com/business/business-economy/new-tariff-fg-abolishes-uniform pricing-for-electricity, 2012. Accessed on [2015-01].
[16] Xuan Y M, Xiao F, Niu X F, Huang X, Wang S W. Research and application of evaporative cooling in China: A review (I). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2012; 16(5): 3535–3546.
[17] Adebisi O W, Igbeka J C, Olurin T O. Performance evaluation of absorbent materials in evaporative cooling system for the storage of fruits and vegetables. International Journal of Food Engineering, 2009; 5(3): 1-15.
[18] Ndukwu M C, Manuwa S I. Review of research and application of evaporative cooling in preservation of fresh agricultural produce. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2014; 7(5): 85-102.
[19] Helmy M A., Eltawil M A, Abo-shieshaa R R, El-Zan N M. Enhancing the evaporative cooling performance of fan-pad system using alternative pad materials and water film over the greenhouse roof. Agric Eng Int: CIGR Journal, 2013; 15(2): 173-187.
Ndukwu C, Manuwa S, Olukunle O, Oluwalana B. A simple model for evaporative cooling system of a storage space in a tropical climate. Scientific Journal Agricultural Engineering, 2013; 3: 27–39.
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Published
2015-04-30
How to Cite
Ndukwu, M. C., & Manuwa, S. I. (2015). Techno-economic assessment for viability of some waste as cooling pads in evaporative cooling system. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 8(2), 151–158. Retrieved from https://ijabe.migration.pkpps03.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/ijabe/article/view/952
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Structures and Bio-environmental Engineering
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