Experimental investigation on desiccant air-conditioning system in India

An experimental investigation in India was presented to evaluate the performance and energy saving capacity of a desiccant air-conditioning system composed of a silica gel bed, a split type air-conditioner (1.0 ton refrigeration) installed in a room with a volume of 86.4 m³, air ducts and a blower. The experiment was made in such a way that the percentages of return air, outdoor air and indoor air mixed with the air leaving the desiccant and desiccant bed thickness could be adjusted. Tests were conducted on several days with relatively similar ambient conditions. Under the test conditions in this experiment, a 7cm bed thickness is recommended with a maximum adsorption rate of 403g/h. The optimum percentages of air ratios were as follows: 10% of outdoor air, 10% of return air (mixed together at the desiccant bed inlet) and 80% of indoor air mixed with the dry air leaving the desiccant. The corresponding electricity saving was about 19%. As expected, simple economic analysis indicates that the desiccant air-conditioning is not viable for smaller cooling capacities.