They are known as swamp coolers. The large sizes help in very dry areas but require near drought condition dryness. We tried them many years ago in warehouse here in Florida. Too high ambient humidity to be effective. They also require frequent cleaning. The whole premise is evaporative cooling effect from change of state from liquid to gas, essentially lick you finger and blow on it and it will feel cool.
Cooling is only a portion of air conditioning, moisture removal is another. I can leave Vegas at 82 in summer and walking into it during a normal summer afternoon feels great.
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