Abstract
Solar thermal-powered desiccant dehumidification systems are attracting attention for cooling load-dominated climates. However, their performance varies substantially from place to place depending on climatic conditions, which therefore warrants a tailored design and specification at each geographical location. The current article attempted to investigate the feasibility of extending an existing solar thermal system in a school building in Abu Dhabi to provide dehumidification for the existing air condition system through a desiccant system. The system performance was predicted through a Transient System (TRNSYS) Simulation model to determine the energy savings achieved by the solar-assisted dehumidification system. The current articles determined the effect of fluid flow rate, solar radiation concentration, and heat exchanger effectiveness at the dehumidification of the fresh air as well as energy saved by the proposed system. It was concluded that the system can remove 35% moisture from the air, simultaneously saving 10% of the building’s energy. The system cost and benefit analysis revealed a payback period of 7.5 years, considered slightly higher for an attractive investment in such systems.
Highlights
The building sector accounts for around one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions and more than 40% of global energy demand [1]
The system was evaluated for its technoeconomic competitiveness, through simulation employing Transient System (TRNSYS)
The optimal mixing ratio of four heat transfer fluid streams entering each of the four heat exchangers in an arrangement of (i) decreasing order of 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, and 0.1; (ii) constant ratios of 0.25, 0.25, 0.25, and 0.25; and (iii) increasing order of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 were simulated
Summary
The building sector accounts for around one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions and more than 40% of global energy demand [1]. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), buildings consume about 90% of the total electricity used in the country [2]. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, experienced a sharp increase in its energy consumption from. 65,000 GWh to 110,000 GWh between 2010 to 2018, with a monotonic increase in installed electrical power capacity from 71,000 GWh to 119,000 GWh (Figure 1) [3]. Of the building sector’s electricity consumption is attributed to air-conditioning systems worldwide [4,5]. Over 70% of the electricity is used to meet the air-cooling demand in Abu Dhabi, given its hot climatic conditions [6]. The electric power consumption has been closely approaching the power production capacity, leaving an excess production of only 9100 GWh in 2018, as shown in Figure 1 [3].
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