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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Field development of a desiccant-based space-conditioning system for supermarket applications. Annual report, February 1982-January 1983

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5562079
The use of gas-regenerated desiccant dehumidification systems to provide space-conditioning for supermarkets was investigated. A silica gel-based dehumidification system and related components were installed in a Jewel supermarket as an adjunct to the conventional vapor-compression air-conditioning system. Instrumentation was installed to monitor this hybrid system and to allow performance comparisons with the conventional vapor-compression system operating alone. Data collected were used to develop load models for the building and to correlate indoor and ambient conditions to the energy consumption by the air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. The expected reduction in refrigeration energy consumption with decreasing store humidities was verified. The load models were used in conjunction with system characteristics to obtain cooling season cost projections for both systems operating under different conditions. Initial estimates indicate that payback periods of the hybrid system could be under 1 year.
Research Organization:
Thermo Electron Corp., Waltham, MA (USA)
OSTI ID:
5562079
Report Number(s):
PB-83-251017; TE-4308-42-83
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English