The difference between evaporative cooler and air conditioner

A cooling system instead of the usual air conditioner

Having a cool working environment is a goal that every entrepreneur sets for himself, knowing full well that the health of the employees and the productivity of the company improve significantly if the temperature of the workplace is under control.

The technical solutions to achieve this, as we all know, all stem from the use of two different physical principles: evaporative adiabatic cooling and refrigeration cycle cooling. Although evaporative coolers are sometimes referred to as evaporative air conditioners and evaporative climate control systems, it is necessary to be clear and avoid gross technical errors, which also demonstrate a lack of knowledge on the matter.

As we will explain in this article, adiabatic coolers are completely different from traditional air conditioners and climate control systems, as they are based on an entirely different operating principle. Art-Eco deals with evaporative adiabatic cooling. We know that in order to give to our customers the correct information on the suitability of these systems, especially for industrial sheds and warehouses, we need to explain the differences between an evaporative cooler and an air conditioner.

The operation of evaporative adiabatic coolers and air conditioners

In an evaporative adiabatic cooler, the air is drawn completely from the outside environment and thanks to the action of a fan is pushed through honeycomb panels over which water flows. In this way, the outside air naturally gives up some of its heat to the water, and its temperature decreases by about 7-10°C, after which it enters the room from above and descends towards the ground due to having a greater density than warm air.

The air cooler operating on the basis of this principle must operate with the windows open, which also spontaneously ensures a constant air change, with beneficial effects on both the reduction of viruses and bacteria in the working environment’s microclimate and the elimination of processing odours and dust. On the other hand, an air conditioner relies on the cooling action of a refrigerant gas contained in a closed circuit and circulated by a pump. The air is cooled due to contact with a coil containing the refrigerant gas. Due to this process, it loses much of its natural moisture, becoming cold and dry, with no air change with the outside. In order to work efficiently, an air conditioner must operate in an environment with closed doors and windows. This leads to the possibility of accumulation of pathogens or harmful substances in the environment.

Why choose an evaporative air cooler?

After having briefly clarified the difference between an air conditioner and a cooler, we will now discuss what advantages the choice of a cooling system brings to an industrial setting. We at Art-Eco believe that although evaporative adiabatic cooling is a well performing solution for many different types of environments, our systems can give the best results precisely in severe and stressful environments, such as industrial sheds and warehouses. Let us see why.

A first reason is functional and relates to the physical principle of operation of evaporative coolers. For an environment to be air-conditioned in the traditional way, it needs to be closed, which is often not feasible in production sheds and logistic facilities, which for practical reasons must be open to the outside. Moreover, without the air change ensured by open windows, working conditions in many production departments soon become unbearable, due to the presence of unpleasantodours and the accumulation of harmfulsubstances and pathogens that can cause at the very least asthma and allergies, as well as increase the incidence of diseases such as Covid-19 or seasonal flu.

In these cases, the idea of controlling the temperature in industrial shedsand warehouses must be abandoned… at least until we learn about the advantages of evaporative adiabatic cooling.

Save money and protect the environment with an air cooler

One of the most interesting features of our systems is that, compared to an air-conditioning system, the installation investment and the operating and maintenance costs of a cooling system are significantly lower – we are talking about a 25% saving on installation costs -. The reason for this advantage is simple: we are faced with a much simpler system, without the burden of managing a gas (and preventing its escape to the outside world), with a fan that consumes much less than the refrigeration cycle pump, and without the need to build and maintain a closed circuit for the refrigerant fluid and to replace air filters.

The company will therefore have two advantages: one of a strictly economic nature and the other of an environmental nature, result of both lower energy consumption and the absence of a gas whose production and disposal negatively affects the ecosystem. The ever-increasing push towards the Green Economy, with the consequent subsidies for those who make eco-sustainable choices, can only lead, in this sector, to a preference for cooling systems over other forms of temperature management in the workplace.

A further positive feature of evaporative coolers when compared to air conditioning systems is the fact that the fresh air produced by the system is not as dry as that coming out of a conventional air conditioner. This means that, in addition to a greater sense of well-being within the workplace, when leaving the cooled environment there will be no sensation of sudden heat typical of leaving air-conditioned premises and immediate and unpleasant increase in body perspiration. We hope that these short technical explanations are useful in offering a broad overview of the difference between air conditioners and coolers. We invite you to contact us for further details and for the evaluation of a tailor-made, turnkey system suited to your specific needs.

With Art-Eco, you will have truly cool working environments with systems professionally completed by someone who has been dealing with evaporative adiabatic cooling for years with expertise and passion!