A parametric study on a humidification-dehumidification (HDH) desalination unit powered by solar air and water heaters

The performance of a solar powered humidification-dehumidification desalination system is theoretically investigated for various operating and design parameters of the system under climatological conditions of Antalya, Turkey. The primary components of the system are a flat plate solar water heater, a flat plate double pass solar air heater, a humidifier, a dehumidifier and a storage tank. The mathematical model of the system is developed and governing conservation equations are numerically solved by using the Fourth order Runge-Kutta method. Daily and annual yields are calculated for different configurations of the system such as only water heating, only air heating and water-air heating. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.