Thermodynamic analysis of a compression-absorption refrigeration air-conditioning system coupled with liquid desiccant dehumidification

The vapor compression system driven liquid desiccant dehumidification to realize temperature and humidity independence control (THIC) is a very good idea for the utilization of condensation heat. Absorption refrigeration system (ABS) is widely applied all over the world, due to its energy saving and environment protection; meanwhile, large amount of condensation heat is discharged to the environment. In this study, a hybrid compression-absorption refrigeration air-conditioning (AC) system combined with liquid desiccant dehumidification is proposed. All of the condensation heat from the condenser of the ABS can be recovered to regenerate the diluted liquid desiccant solution. Meanwhile the evaporation temperature in the ABS rises since the latent load is handled by liquid desiccant, which improves the performance of the ABS. The PEE of the proposed system is 34.97% higher than that of traditional absorption refrigeration AC system at the same operation condition. And compared with the traditional absorption refrigeration AC system, the generation temperature of the proposed system can decrease from 100 °C to 60 °C due to the existence of the compressor.