Exergy analysis of a solar energy assisted humidification-dehumidification desalination system

In this thesis, the performance of a distillation (desalination) system working with the principle of humidification and dehumidification (HDH) using solar energy and ground heat exchanger was investigated according to I. and II. Law of Thermodynamics (Energy and Exergy analysis). In the system, sea water is first heated using solar collectors and then used in the humidifier to humidify the air taken from the outside. The air with increased humidity and temperature is send to the dehumidifier, and then moisture inside the air condense with water cooled by a soil heat exchanger to obtain distilled (clean) water. Within the scope of the study, the performance of the system was evaluated for different configurations by using the indexes such as exergy destruction, exergy efficiency, improvement potential and relative irreversibility values. In the study, the effects of different parameters such as radiation, sea water, soil temperature, and outdoor conditions on the system performance were also investigated. From the results obtained, it has been seen that the most irreversibility in the system occurs in the solar collectors, the system performance is affected by the outdoor conditions and the exergy efficiency of the system varies between 5% and 45% according to different configurations and parameters.