Indirect evaporative cooling (IEC) has the ability to deliver compfor cooling using very little electricity which could help achieve net zero energy HVAC systems. However, IEC only performs well in dry, arid climates. For IEC to be vialble in hot, humid climates globally, the addition of desiccant dehumidification is an option. This paper describes the fabrication and test of a bench tope IEC assembly using a commercially available IEC module with a desiccant pre-treatment section. Testing was done to become familiar with the operation of the unit and the data is presented. The described test system functions satisfactorally as a means to perform further investigations. Also presented are calculations of a modelled 3 ton (10.6 kW) cooling system show that an equivalent desiccant assisted IEC system must be capable of removing 15.8 lb H2O/hr (7.2 kg H2O/hr) to match the performance of an electrically driven, vapor compression cooling system operating as the stipulated conditions. Water consumption of the IEC is calculated as more than twice that of that estimated to be consumed by the electrical power generation facility serving the conventional cooling system.

The work documented here is merely the beginning of our investigations, and further research topics and are disucussed. Further work needs to be done investigating low maintenance, thermally efficient desiccant options to serve the IEC option so that it may provide comfort cooling in any climate zone.