This paper presents the evaluation and optimization of a solar desiccant wheel performance. A numerical model is developed to study and discuss the effect of the design parameters such as wheel thickness, wheel speed, regeneration to adsorption area ratio, wheel porosity, and the operating parameters such as air flow rate, inlet humidity ratio of the air and regeneration air temperature on the wheel performance. It is also used to draw the performance curves of the desiccant wheel to quantify the optimum design parameters for certain operating conditions. Also, an open test loop for the desiccant wheel is constructed with appropriate control devices and measuring instruments. A perforated plate solar air heater of 2 m(2) area, together with an electric heater, is used as a source of energy to regenerate the desiccant material. The experimental tests are used to validate the numerical model and to evaluate the performance of the solar system and the desiccant wheel under actual conditions of Cairo climate (30 latitude). Comparison between numerical and experimental results shows good agreement between them, especially at low flow rates of air. Numerical results show that there is a maximum value of each design parameter at each operating condition, and above that no remarkable changes in the wheel performance are noticed. The results also show that there is an effective range of the air flow rate, due to which wheel performance becomes inefficient. This range is found to be between 1 and 5 kg/min. The performance curves of the wheel, which help to determine the humidity reduction ratio, are drawn for wheel speeds between 15 and 120 rev/h, dimensionless wheel thickness between 0.15 and 0.5, air flow rate equal to 1.9 and 4.9 kg/min, and regeneration temperature equal to 60 and 90 degreesC. These curves show that there is an optimum value of the wheel speed for each wheel thickness to obtain the best wheel performance for certain operating conditions. Experimental results show that the perforated plate solar air heater of 2 m(2) area can share about 72.8% of the total regeneration energy required at 1.9 kg/min air flow rate and 60 degreesC the regeneration air temperature. This value decreases to about 13.7% at a flow rate equal to 9.4 kg/min and regeneration temperature equal to 90 degreesC. The perforated plate solar air heater area required to completely fulfill the regeneration energy during the daytime is also calculated. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.