Performance simulation of a solar air-conditioning system with liquid desiccant

SYNOPSIS A computer simulation of a solar air-conditioning system of the open-cycle. liquid-desiccant type under different climatic conditions is presented. The system makes use of a sprayed coil dehumidifier and regenerating collectors and operates with triethylene glycol as desiccant. Mathematical models of the regenerating collector and dehumidifier were developed, based on correlations obtained from earlier experiments. The computer simulation subprograms for the various system components, as well as the complete system simulation program, were validated by tests of an experimental system with 52 m2 of collectors. With the aid of the system simulation program, the performance of an optimized system serving a hypothetical building located in five different industrial centres of South Africa, was investigated. The system, sized to deliver 90% of the peak cooling load of the building, required 3.32 m2 of collectors in Johannesburg and 4.45 m2 in Durban per kW of peak cooling capacity. The daily coefficie...