In this study

an experimental bench was built to conduct experimental tests on the heat transfer performance of fillers in evaporative cooling air-conditioners. The effects of the filler material

air flow rate

and pressure drop on the heat and mass transfer performance of the fillers were investigated. The experimental results showed that the direct evaporative cooling efficiency of plant fiber packing

foam ceramic packing

PVC packing

and metal packing under optimal working conditions were 82.93%

71.29%

54.85%

and 55.34%

respectively. The pressure drop of the plant fiber packing was the highest

and that of the metal packing was the lowest. The most suitable air flow rate does not necessarily correspond to the highest heat transfer efficiency of the packing

since the energy consumption of the fan

due to the pressure drop in the packing

requires further consideration. According to projections

an air-conditioning system with direct evaporative cooling will be used in Xi'an City’s communication room for 4

126 h or 47.10% when plant fiber packing is used

3

115 h or 35.56% when foam ceramic packing is used

and 2

582 h or 29.47% when PVC and metal packing are used.