Abstract

Energy efficiency is important both to reduce costs and to reducegreenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Reducing costs will also helpmaintain business competitiveness. Scania in Södertälje is a company where the optimization of energy use isan ongoing and continual process. One area with potential to make energy andcost savings is the effectiveness of the ventilation systems in offices andindustrial premises at Scania. During the summer months an increased demandfor cooling occurs, leading to increased ventilation and a peak in districtcooling system usage. Desiccant cooling is a technology where the airsupplied is cooled by applying external heat. This technique involves areduction in electricity consumption compared to electrically-powered coolingmachines and does not affect the district cooling system usage. It wastherefore of interest to investigate if desiccant cooling would be an energyefficient and viable solution for Scania in the future. This investigation shows that desiccant cooling requires more power than aconventional ventilation system. Despite the fact that Scania has access tofree heat during the summer months, the study shows that desiccant coolingwould not be economically viable to install in the industrial premises, whereno cooling systems currently exist. However, compared to anelectrically-powered cooling machine, desiccant cooling is anyway more energyefficient. The conclusion is that desiccant cooling is a viable solution forthe offices, but not for the industrial premises at Scania in Södertälje.