----- Domestic Air Conditioning Water Tower ----- |
Projected energy savings: |
20% - 50% in a hot climate. |
Expected savings in Las Vegas alone: |
$20 Million a month! |
Expected savings per household: |
$100 to $200 a month! |
Modification costs per household: |
$200 |
My system is based on already proven principles. Commercial air conditioners (250 tons and above) have used this principle for decades, all over the world.
The general idea, is to drop the ambient air temperature across an air conditioners condenser coils.
When a liquid evaporates, it absorbs heat. Freon and water both share this property.
Water evaporation is the basic principle used in swamp coolers. Freon evaporation is basic principle used inside our air conditioners.
Crash Course: In an enclosed system, such as an air conditioner, the heat from inside the house is absorbed by the freon inside the evaporator coils. Low pressure causes freon to boil at low temperatures. When the freon boils, it is absorbing heat. The freon gas is then squeezed into a liquid inside the condenser coils. When this happens, it gives off its heat. This causes heat to dumped into the outside air. The cooler it is outside, the less energy it takes to convert the gas into liquid. This is where cooling the condenser coils with water comes in.
Our air conditioners depend on air flow to cool the condenser coils to dissipate the heat from the liquid freon, but water flow is far superior. Water absorbs the heat in the condensor better because it has more mass to absorb it. In addition to that, it boils easily at sea level, and no, it doesn't have to be 212 degrees. It's boiling causes it to absorb even more heat as it changes its state from liquid to gas.
For anyone who doesn't know it alread, water is one of the best refrigerants on this planet. It is not used because of its corrosive properties.
In Las Vegas, hotels use water towers for their commercial air conditioning systems.
While my idea is nothing new, its application is. For less than $200, a Las Vegas homeowner will be able to save $100-$200 a month in temperatures over 100 degrees.
The following is a proposed plan. It's very rough, but, I'm going build it on 6/2/2005 (tommorrow).
Basic Layout,
Nuts and Bolts