With temperatures on the rise, factories all over the world are looking for ways to provide a comfortable climate within the workplace. While traditional cooling technologies can provide such a climate, resorting to the use of conventional cooling technologies poses two different problems: high energy consumption and limited or no ventilation. With the Paris Agreement in place, factories need to reduce their CO2 emissions, and with that their energy consumption. Thus, newer cooling technologies that use significantly less energy will have to gain the upper hand. In this blog, we will zoom in on one of these new cooling technologies, Oxycom's two-stage evaporative cooling, and illustrate the sustainable benefits of this technology.
More cooling capacity costs less energy
Water is the most potent refrigerant in the world. Oxycom's two-stage evaporative cooling technology uses the natural principle of water evaporation to cool fresh air that is ventilated into a building. This requires almost no energy, as 95% of the cooling capacity is provided through the natural process of water evaporation. The fan that regulates the evaporation process requires 1 kWh of energy and provides up to 40 kWh of cooling power and free ventilation. In comparison, traditional air conditioning needs 1 kWh to produce only 3 kWh of cooling power without ventilation.
More cooling capacity when temperatures rise
If we further make the comparison with traditional cooling technology, we see that air conditioners drastically drop in their performance from 25℃ onwards. As a result, the energy consumption increases significantly to provide the desired cooling. On the other hand, Oxycom's evaporative cooling technology only increases its cooling capacity when temperatures rise. The warmer it gets, the more cooling power the system provides. Warmer temperatures allow for more moisture in the air, and thus the system can evaporate more water. And the more water is evaporated, the more cooling power the system can provide.
The unique two-stage evaporative cooling technology uses the natural cooling power of evaporation but is capable of reducing the amount of humidity in the air delivered to the building by up to 70% compared to direct evaporative cooling systems. Moreover, the two-stage technology delivers up to 7 degrees lower temperatures than direct evaporative systems.
Sustainable energy savings and CO2 reduction
Oxycom's two-stage evaporative cooling technology uses 10% of the energy to cool effectively in comparison to traditional cooling technology. As electricity is still mostly made using fossil fuels, this means that there is also a 90% saving in the use of fossil fuels.
To further reduce the use of fossil fuels, Oxycom's cooling technology uses so little energy that it can easily be paired with solar panels.
Working towards a better world with Oxycom's evaporative cooling technology
Today, many companies are looking for a way to make their existing ventilation systems more energy-efficient by using indirect evaporative cooling. Following this trend, German legislation now stipulates that AHUs should make use of evaporative cooling in their ventilation systems in which the outgoing air is cooled down by evaporation to cool the incoming air by means of a heat exchanger.
However, there is still a lot of reluctance in the industry regarding evaporative cooling. This reluctance stems mostly from old-school know-how and ignorance. A pity, as two-stage evaporative cooling, provides a perfect sustainable cooling solution for all industries with massive savings in energy consumption. On the other hand, AHUs are seldom used for factory cooling and ventilation due to their cost, size, and energy consumption. Now there is an alternative, Oxycom’s IntrCooll, which is extremely compact and efficient - delivering large amounts of cooled air at the right temperature and humidity.
In the end, we should do everything we can to create a healthy and comfortable working environment for our employees, and at the same time, contribute to the reduction of our carbon footprint. Opting for an energy-efficient cooling solution in your factory is one of many ways to work towards a better world.
Free and tailored advice on a sustainable indoor climate
Are you currently dealing with the challenge of creating a comfortable, healthy, and sustainable climate in your production facility?
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