Performance assessment of hybrid desiccant air conditioning systems: A dynamic approach towards achieving optimum 3E solution across the lifespan

Abstract

This study aims to assess a hybrid desiccant air conditioning system to provide cooling, heating, and water demand for hot and humid regions using multi-response optimization from the energy, economic, and environmental (3E) perspective. A solar heating system was used to provide the thermal energy required to regenerate the desiccant material. A thermal energy storage unit packed with phase change materials was considered to enhance the solar contribution during periods of low solar radiation. Furthermore, exhaust air of the regeneration process was used to harvest the moisture content of the air to produce fresh water. Using response surface methodology (RSM), a series of novel correlations were achieved for predicting resource consumption, provided thermal comfort, economic, and environmental indicators over the system's lifespan. The results of the dynamic evaluation reveal that the proposed optimum system achieves a higher solar fraction while using a smaller solar collector area. Moisture harvesting is also capable of producing 70% higher water than the system's consumption. The findings show a significant improvement in all 3E indicators compared to reference systems. Moreover, overall results indicate that dynamic and 3E approaches should be employed to achieve the foremost design for desiccant air conditioning systems.