Analysis and design of desiccant cooling systems /

Abstract

In the last decade, desiccant dehumidification has emerged as an alternative or as a supplement to conventional vapor compression systems for cooling and conditioning air in commercial and industrial buildings. It provides a method of drying air before it enters a conditioned space. When combined with conventional vapor compression systems, desiccant dehumidification systems are a cost-effective means of supplying cool, dry, filtered air. The object of this study is to investigate the performance of a desiccant cooling unit for a large building supermarket in Canfield, Ohio. Optimization of this system is done by computer simulation. Then a conventional vapor compression system is designed for the supermarket and the performances of the two systems are compared. This comparison shows that the desiccant unit performs better than a conventional unit in the environment of the supermarket. Another case study is to design and investigate the performance of a desiccant cooling unit in a more humid area, Tampa, Florida. This case study shows that the desiccant performs better in regions with large specific humidity. A further study deals with the design improvement on the desiccant units to enhance the units' performance. The improvement focuses on pre-cooling the make-up air and dehumidifying it with the desiccant before the air blends with return air from the zone. The study shows that significant improvement can be made for the cooling units used in Florida.