GLOSSARY
Adiabatic Cooling
Adiabatic cooling is the temperature drop that happens when water evaporates into dry air, absorbing ~2,260 kJ/kg without any refrigerant. High-pressure mist systems are the most efficient outdoor use of this principle — no compressor, no refrigerant, no closed loop.
Also known as: Evaporative cooling · Latent-heat cooling · Water-air cooling
The physics
When liquid water transitions to vapor, it absorbs ≈ 2,260 kilojoules per kilogram from the surrounding air. That energy has to come from somewhere — it comes from the kinetic energy of nearby air molecules, which is measured as temperature. The air cools.
In a tropical Indonesian afternoon at 32 °C and 70 % RH, a 70-bar mist system can push local air temperature down 8–12 °C with less than 0.1 L of water per m² per hour. No mechanical refrigeration cycle is involved.
Why adiabatic beats mechanical AC outdoors
Outdoor AC fights the entire atmosphere. Adiabatic mist cooling only needs to cool the thin layer of air in the guest zone. Per kilowatt, adiabatic delivers 10–20× the cooling effect of mechanical compression for outdoor applications — because it is not trying to maintain a closed envelope.
Limits
Adiabatic cooling works best when ambient humidity is below saturation. Above 85 % RH, the air cannot absorb more water, so the effect diminishes. On coastal Bali nights when RH reaches 90 %+, system controllers throttle or pause — this is expected behavior, not a fault.