Zent

This device’s summer ventilation component functions like a water cooler, and its winter ventilation component works like an air conditioner.

 

Zent is among the HVAC industry’s more simple heating and cooling systems. It is a four-season air conditioner with a winter hot water coil added for heating and a chilling mode that resembles a water cooler. It is a wholly Iranian device that uses a hot water coil for heating, a heating system that resembles an air conditioner, and a cooling mechanism that shares a cooling mechanism with a water cooler (evaporative cooling process).

 

A central heating package (wall or floor gas package) or a hot water boiler (boiler in the engine room) can provide the hot water the Zent device needs. Zent is a four-season HVAC system in three different models: ceiling, horizontal, and upright.

According to theory and science, a Zent is a kind of adiabatic saturation system, much like an air washer. It refers to an adiabatic chamber (thermal insulation) where direct contact between air and water lowers the dry temperature of the incoming air stream (Tin) to the wet temperature (Tsat) while also causing the air to become fully saturated (RHout=1). In actuality, though, the air leaving the Zent will never be fully saturated.

The cooling mechanism in such systems is referred to as evaporative, as the cooling of the air is dependent on the evaporation of water.

 

The Zent’s primary components are:

  • Blower Fan
  • Circulation Pump
  • Water Nozzles
  • Cellulose Pads

The blower fan circulates the outside air inside the Zent chamber while the built-in circulation pump moves the water in the basin toward the water spray nozzle collector. The water flows over the cellulose pads and fully spreads thin layers on their surfaces to produce a broad contact area between the water and the flowing air. By absorbing heat from the air, some of the sprayed water evaporates in this manner. The air then cools to a temperature close to wet while absorbing the moisture from the steam produced when water evaporates. Actually, the sole distinction between an air washer and a Zent is that the former uses cellulose pads to expand the surface area of contact between air and water, much like a water cooler. For this reason, a Zent uses a lot fewer spray nozzles than an air washer in the same capacity, and it has a smaller pump for water circulation.

The benefits and limitations of Zent can be assessed in the following sequence when analyzing its features:

 

Benefits:

  • Significantly less expensive than comparable systems, such as rooftop packages or air conditioner and chiller combos
  • Because of its low weight, the device requires a lighter foundation.
  • Less space-consuming than air washers
  • Offering fresh air and the ability to generate positive pressure

Limits:

  • Inferior cooling when compared to similar equipment like rooftop packages or air conditioners and chillers
  • Inadequate effectiveness for application in humid environments
  • Lack of efficiency in public spaces like halls, where the presence of a large number of people causes high latent heat to be released, and lack of effectiveness in settings like gyms, where the high latent heat release and tense activity of the patrons make it hard for damp air exiting from Zent to provide adequate cooling
  • In contrast to air conditioners or ventilation devices, the output air temperature cannot be precisely controlled during the hot season.
  • High water consumption