Simulations were performed on a new desiccant-assisted cooling and dehumidification system called desiccant-enhanced cooling and dehumidification (DECD). The DECD system uses heat and mass transfer in a manner similar to the way in which a heat pipe system uses heat transfer to enhance the latent capabilities of a conventional cooling coil. The results of the simulations established the technical feasibility of the DECD concept. The sensible heat ratio of the DECD system decreases with increasing wheel rotational speed. This investigation indicated that the DECD system offers a smaller capacity degradation at a given systems sensible heat ratio than a heat pipe system, currently a favoured method of latent load control.

KEYWORDS: steady state, calculating, desiccants, cooling, dehumidifiers, heat flow, fluid flow, performance, pressure drop, comparing