Feasibility study on novel room air conditioner with natural cooling capability

Highlights: • A novel heat pipe combined evaporative cooling room air conditioner is constructed. • The mathematical model of the air conditioner is established. • The reliability of the model is verified by experiments. • The performance of the novel and conventional air conditioner is compared. • The applicability of the novel air conditioner in different areas is investigated. - Abstract: In order to improve the energy efficiency of room air conditioners, this paper proposed a new air conditioner that combined evaporative cooling technology, separate type heat pipe technology, and vapour compression refrigeration technology (called "combined air conditioner"). The mathematical model of the air conditioner was established and its reliability was verified by experiments. Based on the model, the simulation of the operating performance of the combined air conditioner and a conventional air conditioner was studied in typical climate regions during the cooling period, with the following results: In cold and dry areas like Shenyang, compared with the conventional air conditioner, the average cooling coefficient of performance (COP) of the combined air conditioner was increased by 27.40%. As the climate gradually became warmer and humidity gradually increased, the running time of the heat pipe cooling mode was gradually reduced, and then the energy-saving effect of the combined air conditioner became worse. For example, in the hot and humid Guangzhou, the energy saving rate was only 11.81%. Therefore, it was found that the combined air conditioner had good energy-saving potential in cold and dry areas.