Investigation on the Reduction Effect on Cooling Power Consumption and Operating Cost of Mist-spray Outdoor Units in Air Conditioner

The use of the air conditioner is increasing due to the rise of the outdoor temperature during summer, and the problems of the fire and the cooling performance deterioration are caused due to lack of maintenance of the outdoor unit. In particular, overall performance of cooling system and efficiency in outdoor units have been degraded due to an intake of high-temperature outdoor air thereby increasing cooling energy and operating cost. Thus, this study aimed to increase efficiency of outdoor units by evaporating and cooling intake air through mist spray at the intake port surface in the outdoor unit. The measurements results showed that total power consumption of misting outdoor unit compared to that of conventional outdoor units was reduced by 21% approximately, and total power consumption of the entire system including pump was reduced by 16.7%. In addition, the operating cost including water use was reduced by 13.5% approximately. In summary, if a mist-spray nozzle kit is installed in air-cooled outdoor units, the reduction in the usage of cooling energy and operating cost will be achieved without replacement of existing cooling systems or a large scale of repairs.