ABSTRACT
This chapter describes simple methods to aid strategic decision making, to help preliminary sizing of components and to evaluate the feasibility of natural cooling options. The system consists of porous ceramic elements arranged over a vertical plane coupled with a top-drip irrigation system that distributes water over the ceramic surface, inducing evaporation when exposed to an air-stream. Water consumption of porous ceramic cooling systems can be determined from the increase in air moisture content obtained after the evaporation process. Active downdraught cooling systems rely on buoyancy forces to recirculate air through chilled water cooling coils located at high level. Given the appropriate climatic conditions, the technical applicability of a porous cooling system is dependent on the shape of the porous element, its arrangement and total surface area exposed to the air stream. Air movement over the porous surface is needed to renovate saturated air while contributing to the separation of water molecules from the surface to the air.
