Study on the applicability of combining a desiccant cooling system with a heat pump in a hot and humid climate

In hot and humid climates, dampness in buildings leads to significant respiratory symptoms and damage to buildings. A damp house can be recognized by one or more of the following characteristics: damp stains, mold growth, condensation, a musty smell or stuffy atmosphere, and insects such as silverfish and sow bugs. To improve this problem, a desiccant cooling system has been suggested as a suitable system to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) by its superior performance of humidity control. However this system has a defect in its lower energy efficiency, so combining it with a power generation system, such as a cogeneration system, is a common solution to improve energy efficiency. In this paper the authors study the applicability of combining a desiccant cooling system with a heat pump through experiments in hot and humid climatic conditions and propose a new HVAC system for the next generation.