Research progress in liquid desiccant air-conditioning devices and systems

The developments on liquid desiccant air-conditioning systems were illustrated and summarized in this paper. In order to obtain a better dehumidification (or humidification) performance, liquid desiccant should be cooled (or heated) rather than air. Two fundamental modules were proposed, including basic spray module with extra heat exchanger and total heat recovery device, which could be combined to set up various kinds of liquid desiccant air processors. The operating principle of heat pump-driven outdoor air processor as well as heat-driven outdoor air processor was analyzed. The COPair of the heat pump (or power)-driven outdoor air processor could be as high as 5. 0 both in summer and in winter operating conditions. The COPair of the hot water-driven processor (65°C-80°C) was 1. 19 and 0. 93, respectively, using evaporative indoor exhaust air or cooling water to cool the dehumidification process. The liquid desiccant air processor-based temperature and humidity-independent control air-conditioning system could save 20%-30% operating energy compared with the conventional air-conditioning system. © Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag 2009.