Experimental analysis and regression prediction of desiccant wheel behavior in high temperature heat pump and desiccant wheel air-conditioning system

Abstract

• The desiccant wheel is regenerated by heat pump without additional heat. • Regeneration temperature and outdoor air humidity ratio influence wheel performance. • Numerical models for wheel are established based on regression theory. • Predicted values and experiment data are compared and agreement is good. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the performance of desiccant wheel (DW) in the running system and obtain the useful data for practical application. The combined influences of multiple variables on the performance of desiccant wheel are investigated based on evaluating the indexes of moisture removal capacity, dehumidification effectiveness, dehumidification coefficient of performance and sensible energy ratio. The results show that higher effect on the dehumidification is due to the regeneration temperature and outdoor air humidity ratio rather than the outdoor air temperature and the ratio between regeneration and process air flow rates. A simple method based on multiple linear regression theory for predicting the performance of the wheel has been proposed. The predicted values and the experimental data are compared and good agreements are obtained. Regression models are established which can easily predict the behavior of DW and also helpful for developing a DW performance map for the further optimization of automatic control of the system.