Cooling large open spaces in factories and warehouse

Warehouse and factory spaces can get unbearably hot in the summer and seemingly impossible to cool.

By necessity in most industrial/production areas, doors and window are constantly opening and closing negating the benefits of a refrigerant based air conditioning system, the type more commonly used in shops, offices and in the public sector.

One alternative to conventional refrigerant based air conditioning, which may not always be suitable for large open spaces. Is to you use an evaporative process based upon an evaporative heat exchanging which takes advantage of the principles of latent heat of evaporation where tremendous heat is exchanged when water evaporates. By making use of this free latent energy in the atmosphere a cooling duty can be achieved that is quite comparable to refrigerant based systems whist consuming far less energy.

Evaporative cooling allows cool fresh air to circulate throughout a building forcing the stale hot air to be displaced. This principal of using air change as part of balanced ventilation system that in many climates will work for many days each year using the outside air to cool buildings; only on the hottest days does the cooling system kick in to cool the air before it is brought inside.

These principals have been in use for a very long-time and are tried and tested.

To produce the cooling water is piped to a unit placed outside on the roof of a building or fastened to an outside wall. The unit houses a large high-powered fan and as the warm air passes through special soaker-pads the heat exchange takes place as the water evaporates causing the temperature to drop by between 8 and 10 degrees centigrade.
A series of ducts channels the cool air efficiently to where its need either cooling the whole building or designated areas. Despite their heritage, the modern systems usually meet with the approval of regulators regarding energy consumption, and health requirements concerning water based systems.

With millions of evaporative coolers installed, worldwide this can be a quick and relatively low cost way of cooling down factory space, printing works and warehouses. They have been particularly successful in print works and for producing the right atmosphere in nurseries, garden centres and even bakeries. Installation is usually quick with minimal disruption and the resulting fresh cool air naturally relieves tiredness leading to less risk of accidents and a more enthusiastic workforce.