Performance assessment of a desiccant air-conditioning system combined with dew-point indirect evaporative cooler and PV/T

Abstract

In this study, a new solid desiccant air-conditioning system configuration integrated with direct and dew-point indirect evaporative coolers and water-cooled photovoltaic-thermal solar collectors (PV/T) is proposed and simulated for a building located in Adana, a humid and hot city on Mediterranean coast of Turkey. New multiple linear regression equations are developed for the performance of desiccant wheel and dew-point indirect evaporative cooler, which are the two crucial components of the air-conditioning system and used in hourly simulations. Building set temperature, exhaust air mixing ratio, suitable warm air source for preheating regeneration air and optimum connection strategy of PV/T collectors to each other are examined in detail. Hourly and daily thermal coefficient of performance (COPth), solar fraction, primary energy consumption and specific primary energy consumption are calculated to evaluate the energetic performance of the system. COPth of the system ranges from 0.28 to 0.40 during the day, with a daily COPth of 0.34. 69% of the thermal energy required to regenerate desiccant wheel can be generated by the PV/T water collectors.