This method of heat dissipation can, in principle, also be applied to refrigerated containers. There are a number of particular benefits:
- Refrigerated containers are designed to be operated under damp conditions anyway (rain/sea spray).
- Condensation is to be expected in the hold of a ship carrying refrigerated containers, which means that paintwork etc. must be waterproof anyway. Holds are always designed with bilge sumps to pump off any water.
- As a result of the space limitations with regard to installing ventilation ducts, this procedure is the only way of dissipating more heat in conjunction with the existing ventilation system. It is thus particularly suitable when upgrading a vessel.
Obviously, evaporative cooling systems must be accompanied by ventilation of the hold using fresh air, but this can be at a lower level than when using air cooling systems alone. When using a combined system like this, the quantity of fresh air can be reduced from 60 m³/h to 30 m³/h compared with cooling systems using fresh air only. Despite evaporation, the relative humidity drops (!) from 70% at the air inlet to 52.1% at the air outlet.
The quantity of water necessary for evaporation will only be required during normal operation for a few hours a day because the ambient temperature drops at night. Since water is easy to store, the system can be run with a buffer.
This method is particularly interesting if an existing ventilation system is required to extract more heat than is possible with a fresh air cooling system alone.