Numerical Study of a MIL101 Metal Organic Framework Based Desiccant Cooling System for Air Conditioning Applications

The use of a MIL101@GO-6 (MILGO) based Desiccant Wheel in a desiccant cooling system for air conditioning has been numerically studied. MILGO is a novel composite material, consisting of 6% w/w graphite oxide dispersed in the MIL101 metal organic framework network structure (J. Yan et al., Appl. Therm. Eng. 84, 118, 2015), and benefits from an outstanding water uptake, about 6 times greater than that of conventional silica gel adsorbent. A previously validated gas side resistance mathematical model has been used to evaluate the performances of the MILGO based desiccant wheel, finding that its dehumidification effectiveness is about 30% higher than that of a conventional silica gel based desiccant wheel under the simulation conditions tested. Additionally, using a simplified effectiveness method, the performances of an air handling units equipped with this novel desiccant wheel, interacting with a cogenerator, an electric chiller and a natural gas boiler, have been investigated in TRNSYS environment. The analysis showed that a MILGO based Air Handling Unit has better energy, environmental and economic performances than a conventional, silica gel based one with, in the best case scenario, a fuel energy saving ratio and equivalent CO2 avoided emission of 20.5%, and operating cost saving of 369 €·y-1.