Energy and exergy analysis of the portable air conditioner with different atomization methods.

Portable air conditioners are popular for their convenience, high efficiency, and installation-free design. However, their unique structures present challenges, including drainage, heat dissipation, and limited energy efficiency, especially in condensate removal. Water wheel atomization (WWA) is often used to improve energy efficiency by evaporating condensate, but its effectiveness is limited, especially in high humidity, which can affect long-term operation. Building on our previous work on spray tube atomization (STA) for condensate removal, this paper compares the performance of different atomization methods in portable air conditioners. It highlights STA's advantages over WWA and its practical feasibility. Comparative experiments show a direct link between energy/exergy efficiency and condensate evaporation intensity. With its higher evaporation intensity, STA offers clear advantages in both energy/exergy efficiency and condensate removal. Under the rated conditions for condensate removal (27 ◦C/ 90%), STA outperformed other methods. Compared to air cooling (AC), STA increased cooling capacity by 13.2%, reduced power consumption by 7.8%, and improved the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) by 11.7%. To validate the results, we examined the effects of ambient temperature and humidity on STA, WWA, and AC. STA consistently outperformed the others.