Evaluating the Thermal Performance of Using Tap Water for Space Cooling

Tap water has a potential for space cooling, providing free cooling during heatwaves without significant capital and operating costs. As a cooling medium, tap water with a 12 and 15 °C water inlet temperature was investigated. A copper pipe with a 10 cm spacing and a length of 58 m embedded in a masonry wall was selected. Two operation modes were modelled: (1) stationary mode where water is not flowing for the simulation period, and (2) flowing mode where water flows for 16 h. Preliminary simulations indicated that the maximum cooling capacity for the masonry wall was 76 W/m2. The maximum capacity dropped to 64 W/m2 after increasing the water inlet temperature to 15 °C. Maximum cooling energy of 8.11 kWh was delivered to room air and wall with 1200 L of water per day.