Experimental and Theoretical Study of an Optimized Integrated Solar Desalination and Air Conditioning Unit

Abstract

The objective of this work is to model and optimize the operation of a combined air conditioning unit and solar distiller still to enhance distillate output and system performance to meet a specified cooling load and fresh water needs of a residential application. Simulation models have been developed for the solar distiller and cooling coil of the combined system. The developed models were experimentally validated. The combined distiller and cooling coil model predicted well the condensate volume over half-hour intervals with less than 5%. A computationally efficient optimization tool of the combined system operation is developed using statistical correlations for solar still performance parameters based on data generated by the validated simulation model. The optimization problem of the combined solar distiller and air conditioning system operation is solved for a residential application of peak cooling load of 5.4 kW with distilled water demand of 100 l/day over 10 hr of combined system operation. It is found that the optimal operation total energy consumption varied between 21.34 and 23.80 kWh/day. The fresh water energy cost ranged from 0.11 to 0.12 kWh/liter over the cooling season and is found lower than the cost of stand-alone water production from atmosphere machines.

Keywords:

• Solar humidification
• Combined cooling and water production
• Optimized desalination and air conditioning system operation

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The financial supports of the ASHRAE Senior Project Award and the Qatar Chair in Energy Studies Endowment Fund are highly acknowledged.