The effects of wind orientation on the performance of a split air conditioning unit

The effect of ambient wind on the performance of an air conditioning unit has been experimentally tested based on ISO Standard 5151 (2017). The test was conducted under 35°C dry bulb (db) and 24°C wet bulb (wb) ambient temperature, while the indoor is at 27°C db and 19°C wb. A split air conditioning unit was tested under normal condition and windy conditions. Under normal conditions, the outdoor unit was tested as if no wind in the ambient air. Under windy condition, a constant 6.5 m/s wind was directed 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90° from the outlet side of condenser. The results of the experiment showed the increase of refrigerant discharge temperature and condensing temperature when the condenser was subjected to wind. It is also shown that the supply air temperature increases with the presence of wind. The decrease of cooling capacity by 7.9% is found for windy condition while the power consumption increase by 10.2%. This gives the drop of energy efficiency ratio by 16.5%. Overall, the frontal wind (90° direction) has the most devastating effect on the performance of the air conditioning unit.