Abstract
In this study, experimental apparatus of desiccant dehumidification was developed at lab-scale, using silica gel as a desiccant material. Experimental data were obtained at various ambient air conditions, while focusing the climatic conditions of Multan (Pakistan). A steady-state analysis approach for the desiccant dehumidification process was used, and thereby the slope of desiccant dehumidification line on psychrometric chart (ϕ*) was determined. It has been found that ϕ* = 0.22 in case of silica gel which is lower than the hydrophilic polymeric sorbent, i.e., ϕ* = 0.31. The study proposed two kinds of systems, i.e., (i) standalone desiccant air-conditioning (DAC) and (ii) Maisotsenko-cycle-assisted desiccant air-conditioning (M-DAC) systems. In addition, two kinds of desiccant material (i.e., silica gel and hydrophilic polymeric sorbent) were investigated from the thermodynamic point of view for both system types, using the experimental data and associated results. The study aimed to determine the optimum air-conditioning (AC) system type, as well as adsorbent material for building AC application. In this regard, perspectives of dehumidification capacity, cooling capacity, and thermal coefficient of performance (COP) are taken into consideration. According to the results, hydrophilic polymeric sorbent gave a higher performance, as compared to silica gel. In case of both systems, the performance was improved with the addition of Maisotsenko cycle evaporative cooling unit. The maximum thermal COP was achieved by using a polymer-based M-DAC system, i.e., 0.47 at 70 °C regeneration temperature.