Experimental comparison between internally and externally cooled air-solution contactors
Air-conditioning demand, especially in hot and humid climates, causes most of the energy consumption in buildings. In these applications, the latent load often constitutes a significant part of the total load. Conventional air-conditioning systems deal with the required dehumidification by cooling the moist air below its dew point and reheat it later to increase its temperature to comfortable supply conditions. By using solid/liquid desiccant systems, which absorb humidity from the air, it becomes unnecessary to reach the dew point to dehumidify, thereby reducing energy consumption. In liquid desiccant systems, dehumidification occurs in the absorber, where the humidity of the air is absorbed by direct contact with a desiccant. Most of the previous liquid desiccant system studies have used adiabatic absorbers, where the solution must be cooled externally before being delivered into the air-solution contactor. However, based on experience with closed-cycle absorption systems, internally cooled absorbers ar...