SOLAR ENERGY DRIVEN DESICCANT WHEELS FOR THE CUBAN CLIMATE
Carbonell, T., DePaepe, M. and Quesada, G.
December 2006
System Simulation in Buildings 2006 - Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference, Liege, Belgium
The Republic of Cuba is located at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico,
in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. In Cuba the climate is tropical,
with average solar radiation of 5.5 kW-h/m2and an annual average
temperature of 25 °C. The average temperature in summertime is
27°C and in wintertime, 21°C. The relative humidity is high all
of the time, with an annual average between 75 % and 85%.
Because of this it is very interesting to test and develop technologies
for dehumidification of the air and control of air humidity in
different industrial applications. Desiccant wheel systems have been
discussed during the past 10 years as an interesting option for air
dehumidification and humidity control. A combination of this technology
with a conventional vapor compression chiller can be a promising option
for air conditioning in hot and humid climates.
A model running under TRNSYS is developed for a desiccant wheel and a
solar heater. The study shows that it is technically feasible to use
solar energy as a heat source for regeneration of a dehumidification
and cooling system using silica gel. The designed system guarantees the
temperature and humidity conditions necessary in the buildings.