Bs. Davanagere et al., A feasibility study of a solar desiccant air-conditioning system - Part II: Transient simulation and economics, INT J ENERG, 23(2), 1999, pp. 103-116
In this paper, a solid desiccant cooling system with a backup vapour compre
ssion system is simulated using TRNSYS and the performance of the system is
evaluated in four cities in the United States with different climates. Eco
nomic analysis is performed in order to assess the feasibility of these sys
tems and to determine the relevant economic parameters such as life cycle c
osts, life cycle savings and payback periods. Results show that the system
has higher COP values for the locations with more latent loads. The air con
ditioner was able to meet the cooling demand in all four regions, but it ne
eded more auxiliary energy in the Eastern and Mountain regions than in the
Central region, because of the higher solar fraction in the Central region.
The simulation also showed that the desiccant cooling system by itself was
capable of meeting the cooling demand and hence the requirement of a backu
p system may be eliminated. Thermal and economic parameters were analysed f
or varying solar subsystem sizes which proved helpful in optimizing the des
ign of the solar system. Recommendations to minimize the auxiliary energy c
osts using different methods for supplying the thermal energy for desiccant
regeneration are described. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.