Renewable Energy 36 (2011) 898e906

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Renewable Energy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/renene

Performance analysis and improvement of the use of wind tower in hot dry
climate
Yasmina Bouchahm a, *, Fatiha Bourbia a, Azeddine Belhamri b
a
Université Mentouri, Département d’Architecture, Laboratoire d’architecture bioclimatique et d’environnement, Constantine, Algeria
b
Université Mentouri, Département de Génie Climatique, Constantine, Algeria

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Wind towers for passive evaporative cooling offer real opportunity for improving the ambient comfort
Received 23 January 2009 conditions in building whilst reducing the energy consumption of air-conditioning systems.
Accepted 18 August 2010 This study aims at assessing the thermal performance of a bioclimatic housing using wind towers
Available online 17 September 2010
realized in a hot dry region of Algeria. Performance monitoring and site measurement of the system
provide data which assist model validation. The analysis and site measurement are encouraging, and
Keywords:
they confirm the advantage of the application of this passive cooling strategies in hot dry climate.
Bioclimatic
A mathematical model is developed using heat and mass transfer balances. For a more effective
Wind towers
Passive evaporative cooling
evaporative cooling, a number of improvements on wind tower configurations are proposed.
Wetted column Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Height
Partition

1. Introduction
In hot and arid climates, evaporative cooling appears to have
significant potential to provide thermal comfort and to reduce the
energy loads of summer season. In these areas the air is hot, dry and
often contaminated with dust and sand. It is unbearable without
appropriate processing. The most used modern technique is air-
conditioning, which is highly energy consuming, environmentally
damaging, due to the use of ‘HCFC’ or ‘CFC’ refrigerants, and highly
discomforting, due to the compressors’ noise. Various passive
techniques are also used or proposed to increase interior comfort
and to reduce air-conditioning loads [1e4].
Historically, evaporative cooling was used extensively in tradi-
tional architecture throughout the hot arid countries. Wind towers
or wind catchers [3] constituted a system of natural ventilation that
could also be used in evaporative cooling. Inlet airflows along a wet
surface or water pool. This technique was used for many centuries
in parts of the Middle East, notably Iran, Egypt, and Jordan [5e8]. It
represents a significant wealth of traditional technologies based on
climate responsive buildings and natural environment such as
wind, water, and vegetation.
However, sensitive and evaporative cooling potentials of conven-
tional wind towers are limited [1]. In order to improve the heat and
* Corresponding author. Fax: þ213 31846881.
E-mail addresses: ybouchahm2@gmail.com, someg1@hotmail.com (Y. Bouchahm),
belhamri_a@yahoo.fr (A. Belhamri).
mass exchanges between air and wind tower walls Bahadori [6]
proposed first a theoretical model of watering system which can
improve the performance of the wind tower. After that, a fan-assisted
evaporative cool tower was installed in the atrium of a multi-purpose
building at Sde-Boqer (Israel Etzion et al. [2]). Monitoring of the tower
showed that about 85% of the cooling effect was achieved at the top
2 m of the tower and that outlet temperature was only about 3  C
above the ambient wet bulb temperature. Experimental building in
Tucson Arizona achieved by Cunningham et al. [9], in which natural
down draft evaporative coolers were equipped with wetted pads at
the top, provided cool air by gravity flow.
Belarbi et al. [10] proposed and discussed a theoretical model of
water spray for passive cooling systems. It could be used to calcu-
late the time needed for full evaporation and to estimate the
temperature reduction obtained with evaporation cooling. Many
other works carried out by a number of researchers, such as:
Bouchahm [11], Givoni [12], Pearlmutter [13] and Chalfoun [14] and
Bahadori [15], confirmed the importance of this strategy. An
acceptable level of indoor comfort can be obtained with a reduction
in energy loads for space cooling.
This system has been imported and used in the south of Algeria,
within the framework of bioclimatic design houses, but, so far, its
efficiency has been limited.
This study deals with the thermal performance assessment of
wind towers used in a hot dry climate. The characteristics of indoor
air are measured and analyzed in several cases. Thus, a mathematical

0960-1481/$ e see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.renene.2010.08.030
 Y. Bouchahm et al. / Renewable Energy 36 (2011) 898e906 899

model is developed by considering the heat and mass transfer
balance. Temperature and humidity of the airflow are calculated
with respect to the climatic data and the constructional materials of
these houses. Some recommendations are also proposed to improve
the efficiency of this system.
2. Site description and monitoring
2.1. Bioclimatic architecture and wind tower integration in the site
Measurements are carried out in the town of Ouargla, which is
situated in the southern region of Algeria. It is part of about 19
oases, located at latitude 31.56 N, longitude 5.24 E, and with an
altitude of 139 m above sea level. Ouargla is characterized by a hot
and dry climate. In summer, the hottest months are July and August
with a maximum temperature ranging between 47  C and 52  C
and a minimum temperature ranging between 26  C and 27  C. The
diurnal air temperature swing during July reaches 20  C. In July, the
air is dry with humidity at a minimum of 14.1% and reaching a daily
lowest percentage of approximately 6%. The prevailing winds in
Ouargla are northern ones (NE-NW), and an excessively hot dry and
dusty southern wind from the desert blows frequently during the
hot season. In July, the wind speed reaches a maximum speed
of4.7 m/s.

Fig. 1. The studied case (living room space and roof with the inlet and outlet of the air).
900 Y. Bouchahm et al. / Renewable Energy 36 (2011) 898e906
Several different architectural styles can be found in Ouargla.
They are different in applied techniques and materials. The old city
is located at the center of Ouargla, surrounded by large areas of
vegetation (palm trees), which separate it from the modern district.
Some indigenous passive techniques have been employed there in
order to achieve thermal comfort within buildings, particularly
during the hottest hour of the day. The overall structure of the town
is compact in a way to minimize the area exposed to the sun. The
streets are narrow and shaded nearly all day, which allows the air to
move from the streets into the living spaces. Massive thick walls
with important thermal capacity storage are also used.
Contemporary architecture, which has replaced the traditional
one in Ouargla, is influenced by the western one, which is charac-
terized by large naked streets, exposed to the sun all day long, and
by high buildings with wide windows and by the absence of any
vegetation. This type of building forms and materials prove to be
unsuitable for the harsh climate of the desert regions.
Recently, there has been an increasing influence of the tradi-
tional concepts. They have been adapted for their architectural
form as well as their energy standpoint. A further stage is the use of
what is known as bioclimatic architectural housing.
The wind tower structures are among the most outstanding
features of these houses. They provide the evaporative passive
cooling when the pool at the bottom of the tower is filled with
water (Fig. 1). They also control and promote natural ventilation
during the day [6,7]. These elements imported from the countries
of the Middle East are new architectural designs in Algeria, but they
are old ones in their countries of origin.
2.2. Measurements organization
The measurements were conducted in two kinds of houses. The
first one (H1) is a house with an operational wind tower; the
second one (H2) is a house with a wind tower closed by the resi-
dents because unaware of the importance of this cooling system.
The first case (Fig. 1) consists of a wind tower used for cooling
purposes of the living room of a semi detached house, with an area
of 4.00  4.00 m2 and a height of 3.00 m. The windows in it are of
two kinds: a large one (1.40e1.20 m2) that is oriented north and
two smaller ones (1.20e0.50 m2). All are equipped with shutters,
overhangs and fines to protect the residents against the intense sun
radiation. The 6.50 m wind tower is built with hollow concrete
block and covered with rough mortar. Its interior cross section is
0.70e0.75 m2. The top opening which is used as the air inlet is on
an accessible terrace. It is a unidirectional wind tower facing north
to catch the prevailing wind. The adjacent wall is ventilated to
minimize heat gain from intense solar radiation. At the bottom of
the tower is a pool filled up with water.
The other passive cooling strategies, adopted in these houses
are: A double ventilated wall, maximum shading devices improved
with front gardens (palm trees and vines), different roof levels to
maximize shade, sand layers to minimize heat gain and, finally,
a hollow concrete material with low mass structure. This thermal
storage capacity cannot achieve cooling in these ways, and, thus,
this type of building materials proves to be unsuitable for hot and
dry climate.
The measurements were performed in the month of July. They
were carried out simultaneously in the houses, over a two week
period. One typical daily cycle was selected to represent the
detailed monitoring period.
Another kind of measurements was carried out, when
improvement was made, by introducing the potential of humidi-
fication, i.e. by filling the pool beneath the tower and wetting its
internal surface. The monitoring took another week from the
month of July to measure the air temperature, humidity and air
velocity. A number of stations were selected to meet the experi-
mental requirements.
All external measurements recorded were compared with the
data collected from the meteorological station of Ouargla, situated
at the airport (2.5 km from the site investigated).
The internal and external measurements (at the inlet terrace
and the outlet living room) were made by using two thermographs
and a thermo-hygrograph. The air temperature and relative
humidity (at both outlet and inlet) were hourly recorded for
a period of one week.
3. Results and discussions
3.1. The first set of measurements
The outside temperature reaches a minimum of 33  C at 6.00
a.m., and then it increases simultaneously in response to the direct
solar radiation to reach a peak of 48  C at at 3.00 p.m., with a swing
of 15  C over a 24 h period.
At station H1, the house with the wind tower in operation, the
indoor and outdoor measured temperatures follow one another
from 9.00 a.m. until 8.00 p.m., when the indoor temperature is
slightly lower than the outdoor one, ranging between 1.5  C and
2  C lower (48.5e51  C), as shown in (Fig. 2). However, during the
nighttime, from 9.00 p.m. till 8.00 a.m, the inside air temperature is
higher than the outside measured air temperature as recorded by
the weather service. The difference peaks at 3  C, when the outside
temperature drops sharply, under the sunset and night radiation. It
is clear therefore that, after a building is exposed to summer sun, it
acts as a source of heat, raising the inside air temperature of the
room as confirmed by Akbari et al. [16].
Fig. 3 shows the air temperatures inside H1 and H2. It can be
noted that the inside air temperature in H1 is lower than that in H2
from 9.00 a.m. till 8.00 p.m. with a peak difference ranging between
2.5  C and 4  C. This result confirms clearly that opening the wind
tower has a direct effect on reducing indoor temperature and helps
cooling the room much better than when leaving it closed. Between
9.00 p.m. and 8.00 a.m. the inside temperature is higher than the
outside one, and it decreases rapidly during nighttime. This is due
to the effect of the house envelope thermal inertia. This heat is
supposed to be evacuated by good night ventilation strategies.
Unfortunately, this cannot occur as windows are left closed causing
stagnant heat inside, which leads to high temperatures.
Humidity reaches its minimum (9%) at 3.00 p.m. while the
temperature recorded by the weather service at that time is at its
maximum (48  C). The opposite occurs at 6.00 a.m. when the
temperature reaches its minimum value (33  C) and humidity its
maximum one (35%).
Fig. 2. Internal/external measured temperature compared to meteorological data
House (H1) with wind tower. :: Tmet, B: Text measured, C: Tint measured.
 Y. Bouchahm et al. / Renewable Energy 36 (2011) 898e906 901

House H2
54
52
50
48
T em p ératu re °C

46
44
42
40
38
36
34
32
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
HOURS

Tmét Tem Tim

Fig. 5. Internal/external measured relative humidity compared to meteorological data
Fig. 3. Internal/external measured temperature compared to meteorological data House (H1) with wetting of the wind tower. >:4met, B: 4int measured, C: 4ext
House (H2) without wind tower. :: Tmet, B: Text measured, C: Tint measured. measured.

Hence, these results confirm that the potential of evaporative The wind towers can significantly promote natural ventilation
cooling is not exploited since no watering has been used. and offer an acceptable level of indoor comfort regardless of the
harsh outdoor conditions.
3.2. Wetting the wind tower interior surfaces The wind factor element is known as a complex and variable
one; it can unexpectedly change its intensity and direction. It is
To exploit the potential of evaporative cooling, it seems to be worth mentioning that the outside air velocity is between 20% and
judicious to add a humidification process. The pool is filled with 30% lower than that recorded by the whether service. The results of
water and the wind tower interior surfaces are wetted twice a day. the site measurement are directly related to the maximum
Monitoring the airflow inside the wind tower and measuring the air temperature reduction of the air going through the wind tower,
temperature and humidity are carried out at the inlet (the top of the with a maximum increase of humidity and wind speed.
tower) and at the outlet (the living space). For any given temperature reduction, the induced flow rate,
Measurement results show clearly that, with this approach, then, becomes the determinant of the achieved cooling in still air
there is better improvement (Fig. 4). The air temperature measured condition. This is strongly influenced by the tower design height,
decreases by 6  C at 9.00 a.m., while between 6.00 a.m. and 10.00 the cross sectional area, and the configuration of the shaft and the
p.m. it ranges between 2.5  C and 5.5  C. It can be noted that while shape of the tower top.
the external temperature amplitude is very large, the internal one
remains low. The air temperature increases slowly in proportion to 4. Heat and mass transfer
the condition of the wind tower wall (whether the surface wall is
dried with heat evaporation or not). From May to September, the passive cooling with evaporative
Humidity is directly affected by the evaporative process (Fig. 5). strategies is the most recommended for this hot and dry climate
An increase of humidity (4ext measured: 16%, 4int measured: 31%) (Fig. 6). As the objective of the present work is to investigate the
at 6.00 a.m., occurs when the walls are wetted. Thus, as the internal efficiency of the wind tower and its potential of evaporative cool-
surface of the wind towers begins to dry, between 4.00 p.m. and ing, a series of simulation tests are carried out using a heat and
7.00 p.m. a drop of humidity is measured reaching between 2% and mass transfer model.
3.5%. As the internal surface is wetted again, a 10% increase of
humidity is recorded. In this case, further reduction of temperature
4.1. Mathematical model
and increase of humidity are obtained by the humidification
procedure.
The theoretical study aims at predicting the evolution of the air
parameters in the conduit by considering a steady thermal state.

Fig. 4. Internal/external measured temperature compared to meteorological data

House (H1) with wetting of the wind tower. :: Tmet, B: Text measured, C: Tint Fig. 6. Number of degree day for heating (from january until april and from october
measured. until december) and cooling period (from may until the end of September).
902 Y. Bouchahm et al. / Renewable Energy 36 (2011) 898e906

Fig. 7. Detail of simulation/configuration of wind tower (a), and direction of airflow (b).

The internal wall of the conduit is supposed to be constantly wet; - The balance of heat transfer between the wall and the flowing
its temperature is taken as equal to that of the wet bulb tempera- air is:
ture. The air velocity is supposed to be constant and the entrance
zone effect is neglected. _ air ðTði þ 1Þ
fq ¼ mCp TðiÞÞ ¼ aAðTw Tm Þ (1)
The conduit is divided into small sections according to the
direction of the airflow (Fig. 7) all the configuration presented on with m _ ¼ rair VS where A ¼ 2(aþb)dx and S ¼ ab
that figure are tested by simulation. Tw and Tm are respectively the temperatures of the wall and the
For a section located between (i) and (i þ 1): air, calculated by considering the average between (i) and (i þ 1):
Tw ¼ Tw(i) þ Tw(i þ 1)/2 and Tm ¼ T(i) þ T(i þ 1)/2
 Y. Bouchahm et al. / Renewable Energy 36 (2011) 898e906 903

80 The second term represents respectively, the latent heat of

evaporation and the heat stored in the wall, which can be neglected
according to our assumptions.
50 Assuming that the air is a mixture of perfect gases, the density of
the water vapor is calculated as follows:
60
Mv

Relative humidity [%]

rv ¼ P (4)
Temperature [°C]

RT
40 where P ¼ 4Pvs
40 Near the surface of the wall, 4 is considered equal to 1.

- Pvs is the saturate vapor pressure. According to Bertrand [17],

for water between 0  C and 200  C, it is:
30
20
Pvs ¼ 10ð17:443 3:868log10 ðTÞÞ
2795
T (5)
where T is in [K] and Pvs in [atm]
20 0
4.1.1. Calculation of the coefficients of transfer
0 4 8 12 16 20 24
Time (h) - The thermal convection coefficient is calculated from [18]:
Fig. 8. Validation of the model (hourly measured and calculated temperatures and
humidity). Temperature: 6: Text measured, ,: Tint calculated, B: Tint measured. lNu
Relative humidity: :: 4ext measured, -: 4int calculated, C: 4int measured. a ¼ (6)
de
with de ¼ 4ab=2ða þ bÞ
- The balance of mass transfer between the wall and the air
gives: - In the case of turbulent flow:

fm ¼ VSðrv ði þ 1Þ rv ðiÞÞ ¼ am Aðrvw rvm Þ (2) Nu0 ¼ 0; 023Re0:8 Pr0:4 (7)

rvw and rvm are also calculated between (i) and (i þ 1) from: This formula is established for a smooth walled tube for rough
rvw ¼ rvw(i) þ rvw(i þ 1)/2 and rvm ¼ rv(i) þ rv(i þ 1)/2 walls, Bahadori [6] used the following correction, established by
other researches:
- The equilibrium between mass and heat flows gives:  n
Nu f
¼
Nu0 f0
vTw
fq ¼ fm Lv þ rw Cpw epw (3)
vt
45 80
Text
40 70

40
60 60

Relative humidity [%]

36
Temperature [°C]
Relative humidity [%]
T e m p e ra t u r e [ ° C ]

35
50

32 40

40 30

28
30 ϕ ext 20
25

24 20 0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80

0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 Equivalent diameter [m]
Equivalent diameter (m)
Fig. 10. Results with variation of (de and h) for July (the hottest month). Temperature
Fig. 9. Results with variation of de for different months (h ¼ 3.5 m). Temperature: 6: (Text ¼ 42.7  C), Relative humidity (4ext ¼ 14.1%). Temperature: >: h ¼ 3.5 m, 6:
September (Text ¼ 37,4  C), ,: May (Text ¼ 35,5  C), B: July (Text ¼ 42,7  C). Relative h ¼ 4.5 m, ,: h ¼ 5.5 m, B: h ¼ 6.5 m. Relative humidity: A: h ¼ 3.5 m, :: h ¼ 4.5 m,
humidity: :: September (4ext ¼ 24.5%), -: May (4ext ¼ 20%), C: July (4ext ¼ 14.1%). -: h ¼ 5.5 m, C: h ¼ 6.5 m.
904 Y. Bouchahm et al. / Renewable Energy 36 (2011) 898e906

f and f0 are the friction factors respectively for the rough and
smooth walled tube. n is a parameter function of the roughness of
the wall.
The mass transfer coefficient is calculated by using the analogy
of Lewis [18]:
If
Pr a mass transfer occurs. This elevates the humidity on the air which to
Le ¼ y10am ¼
Sc rair Cp
The cross section of wind tower is taken (0.70e0.70 m2), with
a total height of the tower of “H ¼ 6.5 m” and the height of wetted
column inside the tower shaft is h ¼ 3.5 m.
The resolution of the set of equations helps us to follow the
evolution of the temperature and the humidity of the air along the
wetted column.
4.2. Numerical simulations
The first simulation concerns the validation of the model. The
same typical day selected for measurement is taken into account
with an initial configuration of wind tower (H ¼ 6.5 m, h ¼ 3.5 m,
de ¼ 0.70 m). Results in Fig. 8 show a strong correlation between the
measured internal air temperatures and those calculated, particu-
larly between 9.00 a.m. and 8.00 p.m. However, between 9.00 p.m.
and 8.00 a.m., the indoor measured air temperatures are higher.
The differences are probably caused by the wetting or watering
system. It is kept in permanent way in the model simulation (the
full clay column are considered wetted all the time), hence heat and
(8) be delivered in the living space and reduce the temperature.
Whereas, in the existing house (H1) the watering system is oper-
ating twice a day only. However, as soon as the interior surfaces
(clay column) of the wind tower dried, an increase on air temper-
ature is recorded with of coarse a decrease on the humidity, that is
why the experimental and the analytical results disagree during
early hours of the morning.
Moreover, there is a strong correlation between the results of
the site measurements and the simulations. Nonetheless, the
optimum efficiency of the evaporative cooling is not reached yet.
So, an improved model is carried out according to the two
geometric factors mentioned above: the height of the wetted
column and the partition size of the conduits inside the tower.
The results for each month from May to September, where
cooling is required to reach the comfort condition (the extended

a Simulation Months May June July August September

de = Value
0,10m
h=6,5m
Temperatures / 20,8°C 22,7°C 24,1°C 24,6°C 23,5°C
simulated
comfort zone
28.3/ +2,-2°C

ECZ
Extended
comfort zone
28.3°c– 32.3°c HR / simulated 80,4% 77,9% 76,7% 78,1% 82 %

Tex °C 35,3°C 39,8°C 42,7°C 42,2°C 37,4°C

External

HR ex 20% 15% 14,1% 16,6% 24,5%

b Parameters Months May June July August September

de = 0,10m
h = 6,5 m t = te –tis 14,5°C 17,7°C 18,6°C 17,6°C 13,9°C

=Hre – 60,4% 62,16% 62,2% 61,5% 57,1%

Hris

Fig. 11. (a) The best simulation results with de ¼ 0.10 m, h ¼ 6.5 m for the cooling period (from May until September) all those results are ranging between the comfort zone
(28.3  C  2). (b) The best regression of the temperature with the highest humidity achieved by the wind tower (with de ¼ 0.1 m and h ¼ 6.5 m).
 Y. Bouchahm et al. / Renewable Energy 36 (2011) 898e906 905

comfort zone range between 28.3  C and 32.3  C) for hot dry Simulation results show the best temperature regression
regions are illustrated in Fig. 9, These investigations show the (18.6  C) and increasing in the relative humidity (62.6%). A good
results of different combinations of height (H, h) and the equivalent point worth mentioning is that the system plays his best role in the
diameters (de). hottest and driest days which corresponds exactly with the period
In May and June, the results obtained show a drop of tempera- of extensive cooling demand and desired optimal performance.
ture with an increase of the humidity of the air going in the living Hence, all those results showed that the condition of air leaving
room; when the wetted column is extended, the number of parti- the wind tower are ranging between the comfort zone (28.3  C  2)
tions is increased and their sizes are reduced. as mentioned above.
Humidity is also directly depending on the variation of the The calculation model can be improved by considering the wall
wetted column inside the tower and on the equivalent diameter behaviour, especially the decrease in the surface saturation when it
‘de’. An increase of 37.5% is obtained with a variation on ‘de’ between is not constantly wetted [19,20], the entrance zone and the effect of
0.70 m and 0.10 m, and h/H is maintained at a height between 3.5 m the wall roughness on the pressure losses and on heat and mass
and 6.5 m. As, h/H is extended and ‘de’ is now maintained at 0.70 m transfer.
the results show an increase of only 15.8%. However, the maximum This study can be generalized and applied in any region with
increase is reached when h/H is extended to its maximum, while a similar climate.
‘de’ is reduced to its minimum (0.10 m), D4m ¼ 60.4%. In order to improve the efficiency of wind towers, the following
In this region, July is the hottest month of the year, with recommendations, inspired mainly by the work of Bahadori [6],
a temperature of 42.7  C and humidity as low as 14.1%. Hence the would be taken into account:
variation on ‘de’ gives a higher drop of temperature (DT ¼ 18.6  C).
But, a drop of 7.2  C is obtained only with the extension of the - Using a multidirectional top in areas with variable wind
wetted tower. These results confirm the conclusion drawn previ- direction, screen and gravity shut dampers which prevent the
ously, which is that with small sized partitions (by increasing their air from leaving other openings and prevent dust and birds
number) better efficiency is reached than with a higher wetted from entering the inlet of the wind tower;
column of the cooling tower. Indeed, the results show that the air - Watering the interior walls of the tower at the top by a small
temperature going in the living room is nearly half that which pump that would intermittently operate;
occurs at the top of the tower (Fig. 10). - Considerably increasing the surface of heat and mass transfer
The same conclusion can be drawn for humidity. The highest by introducing several conduits of small sections in the shaft of
value is obtained when the partitions are the narrowest in diameter the tower;
rather than when the wetted column is the highest in length. - Using hygroscopic porous materials for the internal surface of
Humidity increases in the second case to 62.6%, D4 ¼ 37%. conduits like clay, for example;
In August and September (Fig. 11), the lowest drop of air - Finally, as the roughness of internal surfaces enhances heat and
temperature is obtained with the variation of the shaft partition mass transfer but causes pressure losses for the airflow,
size compared to the variation of the wetted column height of the a balance can be found to maintain high airflow rates with
cooling tower. The temperature drops when ‘de’ decreases from significant transfers.
(0.70e0.10 m) and the height (h/H) is extended to 6.5 m/9.5 m; this
drop reaches 17.6  C in August and 13.9  C in September. Nomenclature
The highest increases occur for both months, when ‘de’ is at the
lowest value, which is 0.10 m, and the wetted tower column is h/H,
6.5 m/9.5 m. The results obtained in this case are an increase of a, b dimensions of a normal section, m
61.5% for August and 57.5% for September. de equivalent diameter, m
Cp specific heat, J kg 1 K 1
5. Conclusion ep thickness, m
H total height of the tower, m
Air temperature can be significantly reduced by only improving h height of wetted column inside the tower shaft, m
the two determinant factors of the wind tower configuration: Lv heat of evaporation, J/kg
a higher height of wetted column (h) and a smaller size of the M molecular weight, kg/mol
conduits partition inside the tower (by increasing their number). m_ airflow rate, kg/s
The number of the clay partition introduced inside the shaft is P pressure, Pa or atm.
responsible for the increase of surface heat and mass transfer. R perfect gas constant, 8.314 J kg 1 mol 1 K 1
This cooled air will mix with the surrounding one as it moves T temperature, K or  C
away from the base of the tower creating a perceptible temperature t time, s
gradient. The results of the improved model demonstrate the range V velocity, m/s
of performance and its association with the variables of tempera-
ture and relative humidity and show the close relationship between Greek symbols
2 1
the height of the wetted column and the size of the partitions in the a convective heat transfer coefficient, Wm K
conduits inside the cooling tower. am convective mass transfer coefficient, m/s
In this study, the results are achieved when the height and fm mass flow, kg/s
the size of the partitions vary between: “ h ¼ 5.5e4.5 m; fq heat flow, W
de ¼ 0.14e0.116 m” 4 relative humidity
The worst case occurs when there is a minimum height and no r Density, Kg/m3
partition inside the tower. With this configuration the smallest
reduction of temperature and the lowest increase in humidity are Subscripts
obtained. However, these are still beyond the minimum require- air air
ment of a summer comfort zone (28.3e32.3  C) for a climate such v vapor
as that of OUARGLA. w wall
906 Y. Bouchahm et al. / Renewable Energy 36 (2011) 898e906

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