ABSTRACT:

A 360° air cooler-cum-heater is a multifunctional thermal comfort system designed to provide cooling or heating according to user requirements and ambient conditions. The increasing demand for space conditioning has led to higher energy consumption, creating the need for energy-efficient alternatives to conventional air-conditioning systems. Evaporative cooling offers a low-energy solution, particularly in hot and dry climates, by cooling air through water evaporation, which reduces the dry-bulb temperature while increasing humidity. The proposed system distributes conditioned air uniformly in all directions, providing improved air circulation and wider coverage than conventional unidirectional air coolers. Compared with vapour-compression air-conditioning systems, evaporative cooling consumes significantly less electrical energy and reduces indirect greenhouse-gas emissions associated with electricity generation. The system integrates both cooling and heating functions in a single unit. During cooling, its performance depends on ambient relative humidity, with effectiveness decreasing under high-humidity conditions due to reduced evaporation. During cold weather, an electric heating element raises the air temperature to provide comfortable indoor conditions. The proposed 360° automatic air cooler-cum-heater combines evaporative cooling, electrically assisted heating, and multidirectional airflow in a compact design, enabling year-round operation. Its performance can be evaluated based on cooling and heating effectiveness, airflow distribution, relative humidity, power consumption, and overall thermal performance under varying ambient conditions.