A solar dish Stirling engine combined humidification-dehumidification desalination cycle for cleaner production of cool, pure water, and power in hot and humid regions

Abstract

Zero-energy building (ZEB) is a promising solution for dealing with the current issues of high pollutant gas emissions and substantial energy load, which is made possible by applying renewable energy resources and energy storage technologies. This paper proposes an innovative design of combined cooling, potable water and power ZEB using solar irradiance, which utilizes a solar dish Stirling engine for cogeneration of power and heat. The proposed structure uses the power output of the Stirling engine to drive the air blower and provide the energy load of the building. Also, to drive the water desalination process, the heat outlet of the Stirling cycle is utilized as a clean and sustainable energy resource. In a general description, the proposed design links a closed-air open-water humidification dehumidification (HDH) desalination process to solar Stirling engine and evaporator heat exchanger that makes the capability of attaining heat wastage during the power supply operation of the power unit and the building air conditioning apparatus. A nonlinear problem is simulated using a generalized algebraic mathematical modeling system and engineering equation solver to demonstrate the feasibility and robust performance of the proposed system in satisfying the cool, pure water and the electricity demands of a hotel building located in East Azerbaijan Iran.