A new configuration of the desiccant dehumidifier with cut-segmental silica-gel baffles and water cooling for air conditioning coupled with HDH desalination system

Abstract

In this study, the performances of a new configuration of the desiccant dehumidifier with cut-segmental silica-gel baffles and water cooling (DDSBWC) for air conditioning connected to HDH desalination unit was experimentally investigated. The proposed configuration consists of two subsystems: (i) new configuration of DDSBWC for air conditioning, which use to achieve the conditions of thermal comfort. The DDSBWC aims to improve the quality of supply cooling air by using dehumidification with the cooling process; (ii) HDH desalination unit utilized to produce freshwater. Experimental results showed that use the DDSBWC improve the dehumidification process, the average dehumidification capacity in DDSBWC reached to 10.2 gwater kgdry-air−1 (0.3264 gwater gsilica-gel−1). This will improve the performance of the air conditioner. Within the period 9:00 am till 6:00 pm the supply air temperature, supply air relative humidity, cooling capacity, cooling COP, hourly distillate water production, and overall COP vary between 17.4–18.3 °C, 65–68%, 696–937 W, 0.40–0.622, 3.2–3.6 L h−1, and 0.40–1.584, respectively. The percentage improvement in the overall COP as compared to the cooling COP varied between 0–162.6%. The results showed that a suggested configuration is a perfect choice in hot and humid areas to achieve thermal comfort and freshwater production.