Analysis on the Utilization of Temperature and Humidity Independent Control Air-conditioning System with Different Fresh-air Handling Methods

The presented research illustrates the characteristics of Temperature and Humidity Independent Control (THIC) system with different fresh-air handling methods through engineering case studies. The investigated methods include dehumidification with the application of cooling, liquid desiccant, dual cooling sources dehumidification and dehumidification wheel. By analyzing the dehumidification processes on psychrometric charts, this study summarized main design focus then conducted detailed calculation for equipment sizing. Furthermore, this study compares energy consumptions for the four methods. Results show liquid desiccant and dual cooling sources dehumidification are more suitable for general office buildings in terms of energy conservation. Dehumidification wheel method consumes too much energy therefore not applicable for comfort air conditioning systems.