Techno-Economic Assessment of Desiccant Wheel Application in Healthcare HVAC Systems

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Arak University, Arak, Iran

Abstract

This study utilized numerical modeling to assess the technical and economic feasibility of implementing desiccant wheels in the HVAC systems of healthcare facilities. The primary objective was to analyze the potential for energy savings and the reduction of operational costs through the integration of this technology into air handling units (AHUs). Key parameters such as the nominal capacity of the AHUs, climatic conditions across various regions, and annual operating hours were considered as critical variables in the simulations. The initial case studies were conducted on selected clinics in the Markazi Province and subsequently extended to a national scale. The results indicated that employing desiccant systems in AHUs led to substantial reductions in electricity consumption, effectively offsetting the capacity of several small power plants. Although natural gas consumption increased due to the regeneration process of the desiccant wheel, the cumulative savings in electricity and the environmental benefits from reduced emissions significantly outweighed the additional costs. Depending on different fuel and equipment price scenarios, the payback period was estimated to be less than 12 years. Furthermore, the possibility of utilizing low-grade thermal energy sources, such as solar energy for wheel regeneration presented an additional competitive advantage for this technology. Overall, the adoption of desiccant wheels represents an effective and sustainable strategy for optimizing energy consumption in healthcare centers.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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