Parametric study of an energy efficient air conditioning system using liquid desiccant

Liquid desiccant can be used effectively to reduce energy consumed in air conditioning (AC). Unlike conventional AC, the latent part of the cooling load is overcome using liquid desiccant. In a previous article, an energy efficient system utilizing CaCl2 as liquid desiccant was proposed. This study is an extension of that work. The effect of key variables on the performance of the proposed system is undertaken. The inlet temperature of the liquid desiccant to the dehumidifier, space sensible heat ratio, and heat exchanger effectivenesses are the variables studied. Variations of these parameters and their effects on system performance are presented. Good system performance and energy saving could be achieved if proper values of these variables are selected. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.