Hybrid Desiccant Cooling System for Hot Regions

This work presents results of experimental and simulation study of a solar assisted pre-cooled hybrid desiccant cooling system for building air conditioning applications in hot regions. Tests were conducted on a pre-cooled hybrid desiccant cooling test rig. Using measured data sets from the desiccant cooling system, validation of TRYNSIS model of the same cooling system was carried out. Six configurations of the cooling system were simulated for different climatic regions. Analysis demonstrated that better energy saving can be achieved by using indirect evaporative cooler for pre-cooling. For post cooling direct evaporative cooler for hot and dry regions and indirect evaporative cooler for humid regions are suitable. This work also describes the life cycle assessment of solar air heater and its energy and environmental payback periods. The CFD analysis of air collector using Fluent software has been discussed in some detail.