08-02-2013, 10:38 AM
SOLAR AIR CONDITIONING
SOLAR AIR.pdf (Size: 772.48 KB / Downloads: 224)
Motivation
Create a solar air conditioner to be used in home.
Harness environment friendly source of energy.
Typical System Operation
A typical air conditioning system consists of a
refrigerant passing through a condenser where heat is
dissipated.
Solar Syst em Opera tion
Air Cycle:
• The solar A/c system does not have a compression
cycle which reduces energy consumption.
It is also a more environmental friendly system, since
no ozone layer harming refrigerants are used. Instead,
water and water vapor from the air are manipulated.
Outside air is processed through a desiccant wheel
which removes the moisture from air. This process
reduces the air’s enthalpy and wet bulb temperature.
This air with a reduced relative humidity is passed
through a humidification cycle that cools the air further
and increases the humidity to a comfortable level.
To recover the absorptive properties of the desiccant
wheel, solar heated water goes through a water to air
heat exchanger to dry away moisture.
Preliminary Results
Using software supplied by NovelAire Technologies, we came
up with following observations:
Moist air at 30oC and 13.7 g/kg moisture content is
drawn through the desiccant wheel so that it comes off
at; say 36oC and 6.3 g/kg moisture content. The supply
air stream then passes through the thermal wheel where
it is cooled to 24oC.
On the extract air side, air from the room at, 17.5oC and
10.8 g/kg moisture content passes through the thermal
wheel; it is heated to approximately 47oC. The air
stream is then heated up to approximately 80oC in order
to regenerate the desiccant wheel.