Passive Evaporate Cooling Wall

Hot environment is one of the most common problems in urban areas and densely populated areas. The conversion of open land to poor urban planning causes the effect of hot air on the environment also known as the heat island effect. This effect can be countered by the use of materials such as concrete and asphalt due to its ability to receive and store heat energy.

One of the methods that's used to overcome this problem is by utilizing cooling vertical surfaces such as walls and fences. However, such a method requires energy. Therefore, He and Hoyano (2010) developed a product called Passive Evaporate Cooling Wall (PECW).

PECW is a passive cooling strategy that is used to manage urban surface temperature with the help of evaporating cooling effect. The advantage that distinguishes PECW from other products is that it does not require energy to supply water from the pump. Instead, the water is obtained from the rainwater tank. This method can be achieved by using porous ceramic as a material in PECW. Porous ceramic has capillarity force which allows water to be absorbed and have higher absorption rate of up to 100 cm compared to other porous materials that have a maximum absorption rate of 30-40 cm.

The proposed PECW model allows wind to pass through the ceramic pipe which makes air cooled by the porous ceramic especially when the temperature is hot. Placing the product into the architecture of outdoor or semi-outdoor spaces like parks, pedestrian areas, and residential yards also provides protection from the direct sunshade and reflected solar radiation.

Written by: Abraham Vincent and Ferrel Radityatama

Source:

Hoyano, A., & He, J. (2010). Experimental study of cooling effects of a passive evaporative cooling wall constructed of porous ceramics with high water soaking-up ability. Building and Environment, 45(2), 461-472.