Solar unit for air conditioning and desalination: Theoretical and experimental investigation of the desiccant wheel

In this research, a presentation of a new solar unit for air conditioning and desalination is presented firstly. Secondly, a dynamic modelling study of the desiccant wheel is developed. After that, a simulation study and an experimental investigation of the behaviour of desiccant wheel are developed. Concerning the modelling study, mathematical equations are based mainly on thermal and mass balances. Concerning the simulation study, a finite differences method is applied to the partial differential equations. The experimental investigation is done in the chamber of commerce in Freiburg-Germany. Indeed, the variations of calculated and measured temperatures and specific humidity of dehumidified and rejected air are presented. Finally, this study shows that good agreement is found when comparing the model predictions with experimental data under the considered range of operating conditions.