An evaporative cooling system is a device that works on the principle of evaporation of water. This principle is quite different from the normal functioning of the air conditioner, which uses vapour compression or absorption refrigeration cycles.
When water evaporates, the liquid is turned into gas. The highest-energy particles would leave the water first, thus causing the temperature to fall. This function is similar to using a moist cloth on the forehead to reduce the temperature of a body. As the water turns into gaseous form, the heat of the body is used, so this would lead to a drop in temperature. The technique is quite opposite to the one used for Rinnai gas water heater.
The cooler generally uses the evaporation technique and efficiently lowers the temperature of the interiors of the home. The main components of the machine include a fan, thick pad, water reservoir and some additional controls. The fan helps in drawing hot air into the machine and across the cooler pads. These thick pads absorb water from the reservoir. As the hot air crosses the pad, water molecules on the surface evaporate, which causes the temperature inside the cooler to drop. The fan then blows the cold air, into the rooms, thus creating a cooler atmosphere in the room.
This cooling system has two main advantages. The machine uses far less power to operate. One would need the energy to run the fan, which is almost one-seventh of the power consumed by the normal air-conditioner. Thus, making the machine energy efficient and the results can be enjoyed for a longer time.
The amount of energy isles, hence it reduces the amount of carbon footprint. This could be helpful in saving money, as people would be able to enjoy a cool atmosphere at low energy bills.
The other reason why people love these machines is that it helps in maintaining low humidity. If the quantity of hot air is high, then the process could be more effective and faster as well.