Performance assessment of integrated liquid desiccant dehumidification with vapor-compression system for energy-efficient air conditioning applications. (5th November 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bhowmik, Mrinal; Rath, Siddharth; Jayson Varela, Richard; Muthukumar, P.; Anandalakshmi, R.; Saito, Kiyoshi
• Is Part Of: Applied thermal engineering. Volume 216(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-11-05
• Subjects: Liquid desiccant -- Air dehumidification -- Vapor-compression system -- ASPEN model -- Desorption rate -- Absorption rate -- Coefficient of performance; Heat engineering -- Periodicals; Heating -- Equipment and supplies -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 621.40205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2022.119118
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-4311

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Highlights: Investigated the potential of desiccant and VC integrated system. A significant portion of the total latent heat load is controlled by the dehumidifier. Humidity ratio greatly affects the overall performance of the integrated system. Trade-off analysis is performed among COP, dehumidifier heat load and humidity ratio. COP of integrated system is improved by 74.8% relative to standalone VC system. Abstract: The present study aims to integrate desiccant dehumidification systems and vapor-compression air conditioning (VC) systems for energy-efficient air conditioning applications. A numerical model is developed for a dehumidifier/regenerator module based on the governing mass, energy, and species balance equations. Subsequently, the desiccant system is integrated with the VC system to investigate the overall system performance. The novelty of the present work is in its exploration of the integration of desiccant systems. The share of dehumidifier load in overall system is studied, and performance of the integrated system is compared with that of a standalone VC system. Trade-off analysis is also performed in consideration of all performance parameters. The comparative results reveal that a significant amount of the total latent heat load is controlled by the dehumidifier. Specifically, it is observed that the integrated system can improve the COP by 40.8–74.8% relative to the standalone VC system under different operating conditions.