Desiccant Cooling

DEC Unit

Desiccant Evaporative Cooling (DEC) is a good alternative to conventional vapour compression systems to meet new economic, environmental, and regulatory challenges. This technology has the potential to phase out the use of CFC refrigerants, reduce peak power demands, meet new ventilation rate standards and improve indoor air quality. Most applications of DEC systems to date have been in large buildings with central HVAC system, and little data exist about the effectiveness of small-capacity units and applications in houses. The purpose of this project is to compare a DEC system to a vapour compression air conditioning system in terms of overall house energy performance and indoor relative humidity balance. Following the field trial at CCHT, the system will be integrated into models to compare the DEC system to the conventional system under different Canadian Climates. 

Schematic of the Desiccant Evaporative Cooling System

Articles

A prototype desiccant-based evaporative cooling system for residential buildings
Ouazia, B.
Solplan Review, (145)
pp. 1-3. 2009-03-01
[Full citation / Référence complète]

Papers

Desiccant-evaporative cooling system for residential buildings
Ouazia, B. Barhoun, H. Haddad, K. Armstrong, M.M. Marchand, R.G. Szadkowski, F.
12th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology (Montréal, Québec, 2009-05-06)
[Full citation / Référence complète]

Simulation of a desiccant-evaporative cooling system for residential buildings
Haddad, K. Ouazia, B. Barhoun, H.
3rd Canadian Solar Buildings Conference (Fredericton, N.B., 2008-08-20)
pp. 1-8. 2008-08-20
[Full citation / Référence complète]

Improving moisture management and cooling energy use in residential buildings
Ouazia, B. Manning,, M.M. Swinton, M.C. Barhoun, H.
5th Windsor Conference: Air Conditioning and the Low Carbon Cooling Challenge (Windsor, UK, 2008-07-27)
pp. 1-14. 2008-07-27
[Full citation / Référence complète]