CHAPTER 1

1 INTRODUCTION
The design and construction of the desiccant air conditioner was created to be an
alternative product that home owners could use to cool down their homes while using
environmentally friendly sources of energy. The project began by researching different ways to
create an air conditioner that would minimize chloro fluro carbons. We designed an adsorption
cooling system that extracts the heat from the air by means of dehumidification and heat
exchange. The output of cold air is to serve a conditioned room. The design includes theoretical
calculations on expected outcomes, calculations to find the correct size pump, desiccant and
recovery wheel, and layout of the cooling system and the entire system. The cooling system
design is made up of a desiccant wheel, a regeneration wheel, two fans, and a heat exchanger.

1.1 STATEMENT OF THE OBJECTIVES

Characterization and verification of desiccant material, component, and system

performance

Identification of target applications and markets where desiccant technology has distinct,
inherent advantages and is cost competitive with conventional systems;

Establishment of the energy and environmental benefits of desiccant-based airconditioning systems.

Air-conditioning equipment based on gas-fired, thermally activated technologies

(absorption equipment and regenerated desiccant technologies) help alleviate the peak
electrical demand experienced by power companies in the summer months.

1.2 SILICA GEL

Silica Gel is a highly activated adsorbent, furnished in a wide range of mesh sizes to suit
various industrial applications. It is non-corrosive, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, and chemically
inert. It is a highly porous form of silica, with an extremely large internal surface area. The silica
gel does not undergo any chemical reaction during adsorption and does not form any byproducts.

It is non-deliquescent and will not change its size or shape. Even when the silica gel is water
saturated, it remains dry and free-flowing. Silica gel is a granular, porous form of silica made
synthetically from sodium silicate, Na2SiO3.
Silica gel is an amorphous form of silicon dioxide, which is synthetically produced in the
form of hard irregular granules (having the appearance of crystals) or hard regular beads. A
micro porous structure of interlocking cavities gives a very high surface area (800 square meters
per gram). It is this structure that makes silica gel a high capacity desiccant. Water molecules
adhere to the Silica Gels surface because it exhibits a lower vapour pressure than the surrounding
air. When equilibrium of equal pressure is reached, no more adsorption occurs. Thus the higher
the humidity of the surrounding air, the greater the amount of water that is adsorbed before
equilibrium is reached. It is in these higher humidity conditions (above 50% Relative Humidity)
that stored or in-transit items are susceptible to damage. The beauty of silica gel is the physical
adsorption of water vapour into its internal pores. There is no chemical reaction, no by products
or side effects. Even when saturated with water vapour, silica gel still has the appearance of a dry
product, its shape unchanged. Silica Gel is one of the oldest and most popular desiccant and
adsorbent used for a wide number of industrial and consumer applications.

Silica Gel is a highly activated adsorbent, furnished in a wide range of mesh sizes to suit
various industrial applications. It is non-corrosive, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, and chemically
inert. It is a highly porous form of silica, with an extremely large internal surface area. The silica
gel does not undergo any chemical reaction during adsorption and does not form any by
products. It is non-deliquescent and will not change its size or shape. Even when the silica gel is
water saturated, it remains dry and free-flowing.

Silica gel has a very high porosity, around 800 m/g, allows it to adsorb water readily,
making it useful as a desiccant (drying agent). It can reduce the relative humidity in a closed
space to around 40%. Once saturated with water, the gel can be regenerated (dried) by heating it
to 150C (300F) for 1.5 hours per liter (about 1 dry quart measure or about 30oz weight) in a
thick-walled Pyrex dish. Silica gel is non-toxic, non-flammable and chemically unreactive.
Regeneration of Silica Gel is done by heating the crystals in an oven at a temperature of not more
than 300 F (149 C) for approximately three hours or until the crystals turn blue or transparent

white. Dehydrating the desiccant may also be accomplished by heating in a microwave oven.
Using a 900 watt oven heat the crystals for three minute intervals until the color change occurs.
The exact amount of time necessary will depend upon the oven wattage. Spreading the desiccant
in a broad pan in a shallow layer will speed the process. Heating to 325 F (149 C) or more,
or using a microwave oven over 900 watts can damage the gel and render it unable to adsorb
moisture.

Silica Gel has a very strong affinity for water and will adsorb it in preference to most
other substances. It is also a good adsorbent for HC1, gasoline-range hydrocarbons, CO2, C12,
sulphur and nitrogen compounds, aromatics, and many others. Silica Gel is in wide use in many
industries for a myriad number of applications where a high capacity desiccant or selective
adsorbent is required.

1.3 DESICCANT WHEEL

A desiccant wheel is very similar to a thermal wheel, but with a coating applied for the
sole purpose of dehumidifying or 'drying' the air stream. The desiccant is normally Silica Gel. As
the wheel turns, the desiccant passes alternately through the incoming air where the moisture is
adsorbed, and through a regenerating zone where the desiccant is dried and the moisture
expelled. The wheel continues to rotate and the adsorbent process is repeated. Regeneration is
normally carried out by the use of a heating coil, such as a water or steam coil, or a direct-fired
gas burner.

Thermal wheels and desiccant wheels are often used in series configuration to provide the
required dehumidification as well as recovering the heat from the regeneration cycle.

1.4 EVAOPRATIVE COOLER

An evaporative cooler is a device that cools air through the evaporation of water.
Evaporative cooling works by employing water's large enthalpy of vaporization. The temperature
of dry air can be dropped significantly through the phase transition of liquid water to water vapor
(evaporation), which can cool air using much less energy than refrigeration. In extremely dry
climates, evaporative cooling of air has the added benefit of conditioning the air with more

moisture for the comfort of building occupants. Unlike closed-cycle refrigeration, evaporative
cooling requires a water source, and must continually consume water to operate.

Air washers and wet cooling towers use the same principles as evaporative coolers but
are designed for purposes other than directly cooling the air inside a building. For example, an
evaporative cooler may be designed to cool the coils of a large air conditioning or refrigeration
system to increase its efficiency.

CHAPTER 2

2. DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

2.1 ROTARY DEHUMIDIFIERS

In rotary dehumidifiers, the process airstream transfers moisture to a rotating desiccant
matrix and absorbs sensible heat from the matrix. Subsequently, the matrix transfers the moisture
to a counter flow regeneration airstream and absorbs sensible heat from the regeneration air. The
matrix may be homogeneous or a composite of a carrier with the necessary mechanical
properties to support the desiccant, possibly an adhesive film to bind desiccant to carrier, and the
desiccant material itself. Combined heat-and mass transfer occurs in the air, the desiccant, and
the contaminants (if present). Heat transfer occurs in the carrier and any adhesive.

The

combined heat and mass transfer processes in the air are well understood and are similar to those
for the wet-bulb psychrometer. Wylie found for the wet bulb psychrometer that of the ten known
combined heat and mass transfer effects, six almost canceled one another within a fraction of a
percentage point. The remaining important four are diffusion, conduction, convection, and
accommodation coefficient at the surface. These effects have been measured within a few
percentage points (Hilsenrath et al. 1968; Mason and Monchick 1965). Combined heat and mass
transfer in air can be represented by heat-transfer and mass transfer coefficients free of
interaction effects, and for simple geometries they can be predicted accurately. In the desiccant
dehumidifier, combined heat-and-mass transfer can be more difficult to predict, especially if the
dimensions of the desiccant particles in the transfer direction are comparable with those of the air
passage. For high performance and low cost, the desiccant dimensions are usually made as small
as practical compared with the air passage. This makes the desiccant almost isothermal, and only
the mass transfer resistance in the desiccant must be considered. The diffusivity of liquid or
crystalline desiccants is reproducible, but for amorphous polymers, such as silica-gel, it can be
highly dependent on manufacturing conditions. Contaminants commonly found in buildings can
be adsorbed by the desiccant. Their likely chemical composition and effect on desiccant cooling
systems is not known at present.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MICROPOROUS SILICA-GEL

(W. R. GRACE, 1984)
Pore Volume (vp)

0.43 x 10 m /kg

Average Pore Diameter

22 Angstroms (22 x 10-1m)

Internal Surface Area

(720 - 800) x 103 m2/kg

True Density, no porosity (rhos)

2200 kg/m3

Thermal Conductivity

0.144 W/m K

Thermal Heat Capacity (Cd)

921 J/kg K

TABLE 2.1 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MICROPOROUS SILICA-GEL

DESIGN DIMENSIONS OF THE DEHUMIDIFIER

OBJECTS

DIMENSIONS

Outer diameter (nominal)

1000.0 mm

Winding outer diameter

1000.0 mm

Hub outside diameter

200.0 mm

TABLE 2.2 DESIGN DIMENSIONS OF THE DEHUMIDIFIER

CHAPTER 3

3. SOLID DESICCANT COOLING SYSTEM

Recent advancements in incorporating desiccant dehumidication with cooling
technologies. Shows the beginning of a new generation of thermally activated products, which
can be called desiccant cooling systems. In addition to the advantage of handling latent and
sensible heat loads separately, without using CFCs and consuming a large amount of electricity,
solid desiccant cooling systems are compact and less subject to corrosion and carryovers. The
heart of a desiccant cooling system is the desiccant component itself. When a solid desiccant is
adopted, the desiccant dehumidier is generally a periodically regenerated adsorbent bed, or a
slowly rotating desiccant wheel, which is particularly utilized. In HVAC applications.
Commonly used solid desiccant materials include lithium chloride, calcium chloride, silica gels,
zeolites or Molecular sieves, aluminum oxides, etc.

CHAPTER 4

4.1 CONSTRUCTION OF DESICCANT AIR CONDITIONING

The desiccant air conditioning consists of a desiccant wheel which is connected to a
motor. The desiccant wheel should be connected to a motor which should be rotating the wheel
at a minimum rpm of 30. There are two sensible heat exchangers used here and is of counter
flow type. Also it consists of an evaporative cooler and a steam vaporizer. The constructional
diagram of desiccant air conditioning is shown below.

FIG 4.1LAYOUT OF DESICCANT AIR CONDITIONER

4.2 OPERATING PRINCIPLE OF A DESICCANT AIR CONDITIONER

The operating principle of a solid desiccant cooling system and the corresponding psychometric
chart are depicted in Fig , where a rotary desiccant wheel is employed . First, ambient fresh air
ows through the desiccant wheel, where the latent load is removed by the adsorption of
desiccant material .Then a sensible heat exchanger is employed to eliminate the released
adsorption heat and preheat regeneration air. After that, an evaporative cooler is usually installed
before process air is supplied to the air conditioning room to adjust the temperature and humidity
ratio of the supply air. Simultaneously, in the regeneration air process, return air from the Air
conditioning space is cooled in an evaporative cooler and then ows through the sensible heat

exchanger to cool process air. Afterwards, regeneration air is heated in the steam heat exchanger
and the required steam is produced by the steam vaporizer.

FIG 4.2

4.3 PROCESS TAKING PLACE

PROCESS 1-2

HEATING AND DEHUMIDIFICATION

PROCESS 2-3

SENSIBLE COOLING

PROCESS 3-4

COOLING AND HUMIDIFICATION

PROCESS 5-6

COOLING AND HUMIDIFICATION

PROCESS 6-7

SENSIBLE HEATING

PROCESS 7-8

HEATING

PROCESS 8-9

COOLING AND HUMIDIFICATION

4.4 DESICCANT WHEEL OPERATION

FIG 4.3

FIG 4.4

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CHAPTER 5

5 CALCULATIONS

5.1 FORMULA USED

1. RELATIVE HUMIDITY = PV / PVS
2. SPECIFIC HUMIDITY w =(0.662 * PV )/(Pt - PV ) kg /kg of dry air
Where,
PV is partial pressure of water vapor
Pt. is total pressure of moist air

5.2 DESIGN CALCULATIONS

Let initial out door condition
Dry bulb temperature
Relative humidity (rh)

=35c
= 41%

PROCESS AT 2
D.B.T = 50C
RH

= 9%

= PV / PVS
0.09 =PV / 0.1235
PV =0.09*0.1235
PV = 0.0111 bar
1. w1=(0.662 * PV )/(Pt - PV )
=(0.662*0.0111)*1000/(1.013-0.0111)
w1 =7.33 gram /kg

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PROCESS 4
D.B.T =19C
R.H = 70%(DESIRED CONDITION)
= PV / PVS
0.7= PV /0.0220
PV= 0.0154 bar
w2=(0.662 * PV )/(Pt - PV )
=(0.662*0.0154)/(1.013-0.0154)
=1.02*10^-3 kg /kg of dry air
w2=10.21 gr / kg of dry air

Required amount of water added for getting

RH =70%

we have to add

w2 w1 =(10.21 7.33) gram /kg of air

= (2.88 ) gram /kg of air
=3 (approx ) gram /kg of air

PROCESS 5
D.B.T =28C
R.H = 50%(return air from room)
= PV / PVS
0.5= PV / 0.378
PV =0.5*0.378
PV =0.0189bar
w3 =(0.662 * PV )/(Pt - PV )
=(0.662*0.0189)/(1.013-0.0189)
w3=12.58 gram / kg of dry air

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PROCESS 6
D.B.T =23C
R.H = 80%
= PV / PVS
0.8 = PV / 0.0281
PV = 0.02248 bar
w4 =(0.662 * PV )/(Pt - PV )
=(0.662* 0.2248)/(1.013 -0.0189)
= 14.91
w3 =14.91 gram / kg of dry air
Thus we have to add (w4 w3) gram / kg of air needed in evaporative cooler
w = 14.91-12.58=2.33 gram/ kg of dry air

5.3 POWER REQUIRED

S.no

COMPONENT

POWER REQUIRED

Motor(.25hp )

186.5 watts

Blower (2 )

1200 watts

Pump (.25hp)

186.5 watts

Steam vaporizer

950 watts

Total

2523 watts or 2.523KW

TABLE 5.1 POWER REQUIRED

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CHAPTER 6
6. CONCLUSION
In this project phase 1 we have calculated the design specifications, power required,
relative humidity and specific humidity of various processes. The components required for the
fabrication and its tentative budget is been listed in this report. The theoretical part of our project
is been successfully completed. In the next project phase we have decided to fabricate the project
and also to test the air conditioner at various conditions i.e. summer and winter air conditioning.

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REFRENCE WEBSITES
1. http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/rotartica-s-solar-powered-air-conditioning/
2. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/friction-loss-copper-steel-plastic-pipes-d_807.html
3. http://www.novelaire.com/technologies/pdfs/dw-brochure.pdf

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