PERFORMANCE OF A SOLID DESICCANT BASED EVAPORATIVE COOLING SYSTEM IN WARM AND HUMID CLIMATIC ZONE OF INDIA

摘要

Vapour compression based air conditioners are being used for comfort cooling in residences, offices and commercial buildings in many countries throughout the world. Several issues arise seriously challenge the conventional technology which include harmful impact of CFCs and HCFCs on environment, energy and cost problems etc. However use of low energy and eco friendly techniques may be helpful to overcome these problems up to some extent. The evaporative cooling may be considered as one of such eco friendly methods of achieving comfortable conditions in buildings during summer. These systems have great potential to provide thermal comfort in places where ambient air humidity is low. Such systems alone are not efficient for humid climatic conditions. However such systems can be used if combined with desiccant based dehumidifier. India with its widely different climates has been divided into six climatic zones viz. Hot and Dry, Moderate, Warm and Humid, Composite, Cold and Cloudy and Cold and Sunny. This paper examines the potential of a simple desiccant evaporative cooling cycle in five selected cities in Warm and Humid climatic zone of India. The coefficient of performance (COP) has been computed for each location and compared. It has been found that COP for different cities varies in the range of 0.14 to 0.21. Mumbai (coastal city) has been identified as the city where desiccant evaporative cooling system can be operated with higher COP compared to that of other cities in the same climatic zone.