Holistic integration of multi-stage dew point counter flow indirect evaporative cooler with the solar-assisted desiccant cooling system: A techno-economic evaluation

Abstract

This paper presents a detailed techno-economic assessment along with a performance analysis of various configurations of the solar-assisted desiccant air-cooling system. In holistic integration, multiple configuration variants of solar-assisted desiccant cooling system were considered involving: (1) direct evaporative cooler on both process and regeneration sides; (2) direct evaporative cooler on the process with counter flow indirect evaporative cooler on regeneration side, (3) counter flow indirect evaporative cooler on both process and regeneration sides and (4) direct evaporative cooler on the process side with regenerative side with any evaporative cooler. The technical assessment is carried out to evaluate the performances of all the considered solar-assisted desiccant cooling system configurations. In order to evaluate the economic viability, all setups were tested for a wide range of operating conditions with varying inlet air temperature, humidity, and solar radiation during 15 different selected days of the typical summer season to obtain actual and realistic estimates of systems performances. The seasonal testing results revealed that the first three configurations achieved maximum coefficient of performance values of 0.76, 0.99 & 1.85, and maximum energy efficiency ratio values of 7.19, 8.73, and 13.3, respectively. Utilizing the experimental data, the economic analysis indicates that the third configuration has the potential to save up to 62.9% energy cost compared to the conventional system with a payback period of 5.87 years.