Project Details
Description
During hot summer months air conditioning systems are the principal cause of peak electrical power demand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the households consume huge amount of electricity for this purpose. One of the objectives of this proposal is to develop solar-assisted energy-efficient air conditioning system suitable for households since the demand for domestic production about 74%. Further, in hot and humid climates air conditioning system is an energy intensive process due to latent heat load. The proposed unitary air conditioner technology is based on the principle that reduction of heat content of process air by a liquid desiccant followed by cooling air through evaporative cooling. The heat liberated by the desiccant solution is removed by a heat exchanger. To restore the concentration of the desiccant solution, the portion of the solution is regenerated by any low grade thermal energy such as solar energy. The proposed environmentally friendly unit is expected to provide controllable space comfort and outstanding indoor air quality at a lower installed cost, lower operating cost and lower maintenance cost. This process both dehumidifies and cools the incoming air by reducing the incoming latent heat. The main components of the proposed system are a dehumidifier, a regenerator and a heat exchanger. In order to make the system compact the membrane heat exchanger will be used for the dehumidifier and regenerator. A suitable solar air heater will be used for the purpose of desiccant regeneration with the addition of a heat exchanger to recover the sensible heat. The proposed system operates at atmospheric pressure and the minimum number of low-power pumps will be used in order to make it attractive for consumers.
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 1/06/15 → 30/05/16 |
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