Desiccant Dehumidification Integrated with Hydronic Radiant Cooling System
The performance of desiccant dehumidification assisted by a hydronic radiant cooling system for humid climates is evaluated by determining the minimum relative humidity, saturation state of the desiccant dehumidifier, dehumidification capacity, controllin
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1 Introduction Solid desiccant wheel is a main part of desiccant dehumidification system, while chilled ceiling panel is a main part of hydronic radiant cooling system in the present study. Desiccant is compatible with a conventional air-conditioning system in which the desiccant deals with latent heating load, while the air conditioner deals with sensible heating loads. Desiccants materials which have an ability to absorb and/or adsorb water vapor from the surrounding is a unique approach that can over come unwanted humidity. The common desiccants used in dehumidifier are silica gel in solid form and calcium chloride in liquid form. Reduction in energy consumption was achieved when assisted by desiccant dehumidification. In attaining an acceptable thermal comfort, controlling indoor air quality, temperature, relative humidity, and ventilation is essential. The humidity of an air-conditioned space can be reduced by removing the moisture via desiccant dehumidification [1, 2]. Desiccant dehumidifiers normally comprise of a singular desiccant; however, compound desiccants have also been used [3–5]. Hot humid climates in the tropics have relative humidity in the range of about 70–80 % and require significant refrigeration capacity to reduce the temperature below the dew point to remove the moisture in the air. Using desiccant dehumidification in these climatic locations will reduce the electrical power consumption. In general, the advantages of employing desiccant have encouraged many researches to extend their investigations experimentally and numerically on the performance of the desiccant and improving indoor air quality [6, 7]. More advance dehumidification system integrated with a membranebased total heat exchanger would enhance the performance of the air-conditioning system [8]. Conventional air-conditioning is a system designed to generate indoor cool air by counterbalancing two types of loads: latent and sensible heat loads. The A. Z. Zainal (&) A. S. Binghooth School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Penang, Nibong Tebal, Malaysia e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
C. E. L. Nóbrega and N. C. L. Brum (eds.), Desiccant-Assisted Cooling, DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4471-5565-2_8, Springer-Verlag London 2014
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system’s goal is to preserve temperature and humidity for thermal comfort and set it within acceptable range. But this is difficult to achieve in tropical areas, such as Malaysia, as converting the hot humid air into a dry cool air to attain thermal comfort is a challenging task, although vapor compression cycle systems have been widely used for this purpose [9]. The first use of hydronic radiant cooling (HRC) system using chilled ceiling panels was recorded in the 1990s in Europe [10]. Dehumidification prior to cooling reduces the condensation risk in hot and humid countries [11]. HRC provides the comfortable air environment and energy costeffective solution for moderate climate regions; however, its performan
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