Dynamic analysis of variable-refrigerant-flow system integrated with baffled indirect evaporative cooler

An indirect evaporative cooler consumes minimal energy, as it operates without a compressor and maintains the absolute humidity of the cooled air. However, it should be combined with a traditional cooling system due to its low cooling efficiency and limited adaptability to variations in building cooling loads. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate a novel variable-refrigerant-flow (VRF) system featuring a baffled indirect evaporative cooler (BIEC), integrated into both the evaporator and condenser, through dynamic analysis under summer conditions in South Korea. Additionally, its performance is compared with a conventional VRF system to assess the impact of the BIEC. The numerical model for the VRF system was developed based on the manufacturer's technical data book, while the BIEC was developed using the number of transfer units method. The results confirmed that integrating the BIEC with the VRF system improved the cooling capacity and system coefficient of performance by 3.69% and 15.53%, respectively, while reducing power consumption by 11.52%. Thus, integrating a conventional VRF system with a BIEC effectively improves cooling performance for the building, confirming the feasibility of the proposed system. The findings of this study may contribute to the advancement and broader adoption of indirect evaporative cooling technology.