The application of a desiccant wheel to increase the energetic performances of a transcritical cycle

A desiccant dehumidification system with air can be driven by low grade (<80°C) waste heat. In this paper, which is based on experimental data, the air flow at the outlet of the gas cooler of a trans-critical cycle is forced through a desiccant wheel regenerated by the air flow itself. The hybrid trans-critical refrigerator-desiccant system improves COP by approximately 77% as compared to a classical transcritical. The economical analysis suggests that the investment return-time is acceptable (lower than about 8 years) only at ambient temperature exceeding 35°C. The ecological analysis indicates that the TEWI of the classical transcritical cycle exceeds that of the hybrid system, by approximately 60%.