[gwern]

> They keep the machines cool with an evaporative cooling system. Its basically a durable paper product that looks like the wavy corrugated part on the inside of cardboard. Water is pumped to the top and flows down, and the fans blowing outwards on the other side create negative air pressure, drawing fresh air through the holes and cooling it.

The cardboard cooling system looks pretty interesting, but I wonder how durable it is: cardboard which is constantly wet doesn't sound like it'll last too long.

[wilsonfiifi]

It's the same system/technology used by Port-A-Cool http://portablecoolers.com/models/PAC2KCYC01.html and this is one of their promo videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoI1BDEiawY

I was searching online for cooling systems that could run on solar power and "evaporative cooling" seemed like a good candidate. I was looking for a "whole house cooling system" though but these folks come up in the search results.

[tjsix]

The material looks to be the same as the wicking filters used in HVAC humidifiers. They're typically recommended to be changed every couple months under normal usage, though they'll usually get clogged up with dust/dirt and sediment from the water before the actual cardboard/material gives out.

[gatehouse]

Without actually knowing how it works, the cardboard might have a waterproof coating, it might not interact with the water at all, just a cheap space filler to spray coating onto.