Condensate as a water source from vapor compression systems in hot and humid regions

Water is one of the basic necessities in life and its preservation is essential, particularly in hot and humid regions. Air conditioning systems operating in these regions usually produce a considerable amount of condensate. In this paper, analytical and experimental investigations in determining the condensate from a vapor compression air conditioning system as an additional water source are presented. A split type air conditioning system (1.5 tons) located in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where the dry bulb temperatures and relative humidity range from 25 to 50 °C and from 15 to 90%, respectively, is used for the study during summer months. Based on the hourly data, the monthly condensate yields during June, July, August and September are 1.26, 1.29, 2.50 and 2.33 kg/ton per CDD, respectively. The condensate is dominantly affected by the air humidity and temperature. The variation pattern of the condensate extraction is similar to that of the relative humidity. The collected condensate can be used as an additional water source. The chemical analysis of the condensate indicates that the water can be used for human consumption. The analytical model predictions of the condensate correlate well with the experimental data with a correlation factor of more than 90%.