LAUSR

Abstract In this paper we have discussed the utilization of a desert cooler for cooling air as well as water. Hot water is allowed to flow inside a copper coil immersed in the desert cooler tank; in this process the hot water gets cooled. We have developed a model to predict the performance of the device as an air cooler cum water cooler. This model has been experimentally validated. We have computed the performance for hot and dry climate of Jodhpur, India (26.2389°N, 73.0243°E). It is seen that the cooler is performing very well in hot and dry climate; Maximum depression in temperature of hot water is 17.8 °C for the month of May. The average depression is 12.6 °C, 12.9 °C and 8.6 °C April, May and June. For heat transfer we have considered a copper tube of length 15 m and diameter 0.012 m. The total thermal energy extracted from hot water for summer months (April, May, June) is 1442.3 kWh, and the cost of thermal energy extracted is Rs 0.32/kWh (US$ 0.0049/kWh). The cost of extracting heat by using the proposed method is about 88% less than the cost to extract same quantity of heat using electricity.