POTENTIAL STUDY OF DESICCANT WHEEL-BASED　WATER CATCHMENT FROM AIR　AND POSSIBLE APPLICATION FOR CLIMATIZATION

摘要

We present a numerical pre-study of a modified desiccant wheel-based air-conditioning setup thatrncould be applicable for fresh water catchment from air, even in arid climates. The setup and producedrnwater could be used for the production of water, and possibly for climatization with reduced fresh waterrnconsumption, depending on the local operating conditions. The key elements of the proposed systemrnare a rotating desiccant wheel and a heat exchanger. The absolute humidity of the regeneration airrnstream of the desiccant wheel is significantly elevated after passing through the wheel. Water catchmentrnfrom the regeneration air is realized by a system-internal water recovery. The closed cycle thatrnrecovers the water is equipped with a heat recovery system to increase energy efficiency. We discussrnthe specifics of water recovery from a desiccant wheel setup. We present the numerical models involvedrnand discuss their applicability. We present the results of our investigations regarding the possiblernoverall water recovery and water recovery efficiency with the proposed setup in two different climates.