Performance Simulation of a Solar Assisted Desiccant Wheel and Adsorption Cooling System

In order to further reduce the electric energy consumption of the temperature and humidity independent control air conditioning system and improve the solar energy utilization, this paper establishes a solar assisted desiccant wheel and adsorption cooling system (SDCS-A) by using TRNSYS 18. The effects of different collector areas and tank volumes on the system performance under Guangzhou climate conditions are analyzed in terms of system coefficient of performance (COPsys), solar fraction (Fs) and primary energy consumption (Ep), and compared with the solar assisted desiccant wheel and compression cooling system (SDCS-C). The results show that for the SDCS-A system, changing the collector area has a more pronounced effect on Fs and Ep, with an average increase in Fs of 12.18% between different areas, while changing the tank volume has a greater effect on COPsys, with the maximum difference between different tank volumes of 0.1. Compared with the SDCS-C, over the whole cooling season, the monthly average COPsys and monthly average Fs increased by 6.51% and 21.05%, respectively, and the average monthly Ep decreased by 21.45%. In addition, the operational performance of the SDCS-A system under different climatic conditions is explored, and the results show that the Guangzhou climate has more stable and higher monthly COPsys values compared to the three regions of Beijing, Shanghai and Lhasa.