MODELING OF A SOLAR-ASSISTED DESICCANT AIR-CONDITIONER FOR A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

The objective of this work was to develop a mathematical model of a so lar-assisted desiccant air conditioner and simulate its performance in a residential building. The desiccant air conditioner modeled operate s on the Munters Environmental Control (MEC) cycle. Based on the air c onditioner model developed, a cooling system was designed in accordanc e with accepted HVAC engineering practice. The performance of this coo ling system was evaluated in a residential building at various locatio ns by means of computer simulations. Results obtained indicate that de siccant air conditioning can meet the cooling loads present in the thr ee locations evaluated. The air conditioner design itself exhibits bet ter than expected performance in all three locations considered. Desic cant cooling appears to be well matched to the available solar resourc e in the southwestern U.S. However, it appears that a significant amou nt of auxiliary energy is required to power the system in the northeas tern and, in particular, the southeastern U.S. It is recommended that alternative thermal energy sources be evaluated for use with desiccant air conditioning in these locations.