Investigation on the use of desiccant in dedicated outdoor air systems

Abstract

Currently in Singapore, most of the air conditioning systems used are those which utilizes the vapor-compression cycle. Although these systems are generally practical and simple in design, their main weakness is their high electricity consumption rate. In this gloomy period for the economy, consumers are finding ways to reduce their spending, and the usage of air conditioners will definitely come under closer scrutiny than before. As such, the new hybrid desiccant based air conditioning systems are constantly being researched and improved on to function as an able alternative to the conventional systems in terms of cost and energy efficiency wise.

This report will present a detailed analysis and comparison of three TRNSYS modeled air conditioning systems, namely the conventional air conditioning system, the solid desiccant based air conditioning system utilizing the electric chiller and the solid desiccant based air conditioning system utilizing the absorption chiller. With the conclusion of the in-depth system analysis, results show that the desiccant systems are truly feasible when operating in the context of Singapore, especially the solid desiccant based air conditioning system utilizing the electric chiller which can economizes the operating costs by as much as twenty five percent while providing high quality cooling.