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.