Integrated Solar Thermal System for Water and Space Heating, Dehumidification and Cooling

Abstract

This paper describes the design, construction and initial experimental performance testing of a novel integrated solar thermal system prototype for the provision of space cooling and dehumidification, space heating and domestic water heating. The integrated system aims to replace and duplicate the performance of conventional vapour compression air conditioning and domestic water heaters, and is designed to operate effectively in hot and humid environments, using a liquid desiccant dehumidifier and indirect /direct evaporative cooling components. The liquid desiccant is regenerated using a custom designed heat exchanger that is driven by a solar generated hot water, which is also used to meet domestic hot water and space heating demands. Initial regenerator and cooling results are shown, the latter of which are compared with TRNSYS based simulations.