Effectiveness of a symmetric desiccant wheel operating in balanced flow condition: Modeling and application

Interest in desiccant evaporative cooling technologies is significantly increasing, thanks to the potential of realizing high energy efficiency systems and integrating renewable energy sources. The design of such HVAC systems is, however, not simple mainly due to the complex heat and mass transfer phenomena occurring in the desiccant wheel. For this reason, research effort is being focussed on the development of a simple and accurate model to predict the performance of desiccant wheels. In this work an effectiveness model is developed for the symmetric desiccant wheels operating in balanced flow conditions. Firstly, the effectiveness model is validated via comparison with a numerical model and secondly, its application is demonstrated in the experimental analysis of two different desiccant wheels. It is found that the model predicts well regardless of the differences in the technical specifications of the wheels. The model is considered appropriate for implementation in quick simulation and control programs thanks to its fast non-iterative characteristics.