摘要:Evaporative air-conditioning (EAC) technologies - which rely on water as coolant rather on chemical refrigerants - are economical to produce and use. This paper introduces the technical aspects of EAC, reviews EAC's scope of application, and surveys the specific climatic conditions under which EAC can be used most effectively in industrialized and developing countries. The paper begins with an outline of the applications and limitations of EAC and explains the differences between "direct" and "indirect" EAC. Chapter 2 discusses the applicability of EAC in different climates and explains the use of wet-bulb temperature as a useful tool for predicting the applicability of EAC. Chapters 3 and 4 discuss the economics of EAC versus vapor compression air-conditioning (VAC) in terms of energy consumption, required investments, and life-cycle costs. Chapters 5 and 6 review the market for EACs and try to show how EAC can increase individuals' "feeling of comfort." Chapter 7 explains the basic technology of EAC. Chapter 8 lists the equipment available on the market. Chapter 9 discusses maintenance requirements. Chapter 10 outlines the usefulness of solar EAC and the present market situation. The introduction of a relatively new technology like EAC are discussed in Chapter 11. In chapter 12 the usefulness of EAC for commercial applications is outlined. Commercial kitchens, laundry and dry cleaning, and industrial applications are three areas where EAC could be useful.
