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Passive Desiccant Air Conditioners--AIL Research, Inc., P.O. Box 3662, 50 Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08543; 609-452-2950
Mr. Jeffrey A. Miller, Principal Investigator
Dr. Andrew Lowenstein, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-99ER82735
Amount: $99,662
Passive cooling systems, which have the potential to greatly reduce the energy needed to maintain comfortable conditions in buildings, have very limited applications. One limiting factor is their inability to serve latent loads. This project will apply new technology, recently developed for liquid-desiccant air conditioners, to passive cooling systems. In Phase I, computer modeling will be used to identify practical configurations of the novel cooling system. Modules that calculate the performance of a liquid-desiccant system will be developed for a building simulation code that is now in common use. A passive desiccant air conditioner will then be designed and its benefits determined by simulating its performance on several buildings in different geographical locations. Commercial feasibility will be assessed. In Phase II, an actual system will be built and tested.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The passive desiccant cooling system should save energy when applied to both residences and commercial buildings. It can be used on both low-energy and conventional buildings.