The potential for vertical gardens as evaporative coolers: An adaptation of the 'Penman Monteith Equation'

Abstract:

This research paper investigates the use of vertical gardens as evaporative coolers. Vertical gardens play a key role in tackling the increasing challenges cities face, due to a rapidly growing urban environment with associated reductions in vegetation and an increase in the urban heat island effect. This paper aims to develop a mathematical model based on the FAO-56 Penman Monteith Equation that quantifies the effects of vertical gardens for evaporative cooling. The theoretical results are then compared with empirical findings for the experimental setup undertaken by Davis & Ramirez [1], which involved passing air behind the vertical garden (between the substrate and the surface). Correlation is observed when the computed value is at the lowest humidity (35%) of the three test runs (35%, 40%, and 45%). This either indicates that the vertical garden performs better than pbkp_redicted by the mathematical model, or the relative humidity at the time when the measurements were made was in the region of 35% instead of the pbkp_redicted 40%. This research indicates the potential for the FAO-56 Penman Monteith Equation to be integrated into a future design tool that facilitates the application of vertical gardens as evaporative coolers in building designs.

Año de publicación:

2015

Keywords:

• Vertical gardens
• Penman Monteith Equation
• Evaporative cooling
• Air-conditioning
• Passive cooling

Fuente:

scopus