Experimental study on the performance of S-corrugated PVC packing in indirect evaporative cooling chiller applications

In order to optimize the design of indirect evaporative cooling (IEC) chillers applied in data center buildings, an experimental study was conducted on the performance of packing materials under working conditions using such chillers. Two types of S-shaped corrugated PVC packing with crest heights of 30 mm and 35 mm were evaluated under varying thicknesses of packing layer (2 m, 2.5 m, and 3 m), spray density (4, 5, and 6 m 3 /(h·m 2 )), and air-to-water ratios (1.0–2.0). The results showed that under the test conditions, the 35 mm crest-height packing significantly outperformed the 30 mm one in terms of heat and mass transfer efficiency (increased by 8 %–15 %) and air-side resistance (reduced by 12 %–20 %). Based on experimental data analysis, the optimal parameter combination was a thickness of packing layer of 2.5 m, face velocity of 1.8 m/s, and air-water ratio of 1.6, which can improve system efficiency by 18 %–22 %, providing data support for the optimized design of IEC chillers.