Method of Wetting Evaporative Cooler Media Through a Fabric Distribution Layer

Abstract

An evaporative cooler, and associated method, that includes an evaporative pad including a liquid coolant-receiving surface at which a liquid coolant distributed to the evaporative pad is received and thereafter passes into the evaporative pad. The evaporative cooler also includes a liquid coolant distribution trough that includes an upper portion configured to hold liquid coolant and a lower portion contiguous with the upper portion. The lower portion includes an opening and a fabric distribution layer in place over the opening through which the liquid coolant held in the upper portion of the liquid coolant distribution trough passes and is distributed to the liquid coolant-receiving surface of the evaporative pad.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An evaporative cooler including:
 an evaporative pad, including a liquid coolant-receiving surface at which a liquid coolant distributed to the evaporative pad is received and thereafter passes into the evaporative pad;   a liquid coolant delivery member located above the evaporative pad for delivering the liquid coolant to a location above the evaporative pad; and   a liquid coolant distribution trough for receiving the liquid coolant that is delivered to the location above the evaporative pad and for distributing the liquid coolant to the liquid coolant-receiving surface of the evaporative pad, the liquid coolant distribution trough including an upper portion for receiving the liquid coolant and temporarily holding the liquid coolant and a lower portion contiguous with the upper portion, the lower portion including an opening directed to the liquid coolant-receiving surface of the evaporative pad and sized congruently with a size of the liquid coolant-receiving surface of the evaporative pad, and the lower portion including a fabric distribution layer in place over the opening through which the liquid coolant temporarily held in the upper portion of the liquid coolant distribution trough passes and is distributed to the liquid coolant-receiving surface of the evaporative pad, the liquid coolant temporarily held in the upper portion of the liquid coolant distribution trough wetting an entirety of the fabric distribution layer and the liquid coolant passing through the fabric distribution layer wetting an entirety of the liquid coolant-receiving surface of the evaporative pad.   
     
     
         2 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 1 , wherein a perimeter of an outer boundary of the evaporative pad, a perimeter of the liquid coolant-receiving surface and a perimeter of the opening in the lower portion of the liquid coolant distribution trough have a shared boundary. 
     
     
         3 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion of the liquid coolant distribution trough is configured to maintain the temporarily held liquid coolant at a selected depth in the upper portion of the liquid distribution trough above the fabric distribution layer, and the fabric distribution layer has a permeability characteristic such that the liquid coolant is distributed to the liquid coolant-receiving surface of the evaporative pad through the fabric distribution layer to cause the evaporative pad to be wetted by the liquid coolant flowing from the liquid coolant-receiving surface of the evaporator pad towards the liquid coolant-exiting surface of the evaporator pad but insufficient to cause liquid coolant to exit the liquid coolant-exiting surface of the evaporative pad. 
     
     
         4 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric distribution layer includes a flat upper surface to allow horizontal movement of the temporarily held liquid coolant in the upper portion of the trough. 
     
     
         5 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric distribution layer is porous and has pores. 
     
     
         6 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 5 , wherein the pores are of uniform size. 
     
     
         7 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 5 , wherein the pores are of a size sufficient provide a back pressure for enabling the liquid coolant to be temporarily held within the upper portion of the trough. 
     
     
         8 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 7 , wherein the pores are of a size to provide 1.5 to 2.0 gallons/min/ft2 of liquid coolant flow with less than 2 inches of liquid coolant head. 
     
     
         9 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 5 , wherein the fabric distribution layer has at least one of a hydrophilic treatment and a wicking treatment. 
     
     
         10 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric distribution layer includes a spunbond fabric. 
     
     
         11 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 10 , wherein the spunbond fabric includes at least one of polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene, and Nylon. 
     
     
         12 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric distribution layer includes a melt blown fabric. 
     
     
         13 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 12 , wherein the melt blown fabric includes at least one of polypropylene, PBT, PET, Nylon and polyethylene. 
     
     
         14 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric distribution layer includes a needlepunched fabric. 
     
     
         15 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 14 , wherein the needlepunched fabric includes at least one of polypropylene, polyester, PVDF and PTFE. 
     
     
         16 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric distribution layer includes a hydroentangled fabric. 
     
     
         17 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 16 , wherein the hydroentangled fabric includes at least one of polypropylene, polyester, PVDF and PTFE. 
     
     
         18 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric distribution layer includes an airlaid calendared fabric. 
     
     
         19 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric distribution layer includes a membrane. 
     
     
         20 . The evaporative cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric distribution layer includes multiple layers, with at least two of the multiple layers having differing materials.