Integration and application of passive cooling within a wind tower for hot climates

Abstract

Increasing emphasis on reducing energy consumption has raised public awareness of renewable energy resources, particularly the integration of passive systems in buildings such as wind towers. In hot conditions where there is a relatively low difference between internal and external temperatures, the cooling capabilities of wind towers, which depend mainly on their structural design and material, are inadequate. Therefore, it is essential to cool the air in order to improve the indoor thermal comfort. The aim of this work was to incorporate heat transfer devices (HTDs) in a wind tower, highlighting the potential to achieve minimal restriction in the airflow stream while ensuring maximum contact time, thus optimizing the cooling duty of the device. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and wind tunnel testing were conducted to investigate the performance of proposed system. Results have indicated that the average indoor air speed was reduced by 28% to 52% following the integration of the HTD. Furthermore, the study concluded that the proposed cooling system was capable of reducing the air temperatures by up to 12 K, depending on the configuration and operating conditions.