Optimization of a heat assisted air-conditioning system comprising membrane and desiccant technologies for applications in tropical climates

M. Reza Safizadeh, Alexander Morgenstern, Constanze Bongs, Hans-Martin Henning and Joachim Luther

Energy, 2016, vol. 101, issue C, 52-64

Abstract: Separating dehumidification and cooling loads in air-conditioning systems has been proven to be a potential strategy to reduce electricity consumption if the dehumidification of air is mostly performed by heat-powered system components. Referring to experimental experiences in Singapore, this paper presents a novel electricity-efficient air-conditioning system consisting of a membrane unit, an evaporatively cooled sorptive dehumidification system (called ECOS system) and a high-efficient conventional cooling unit. The dehumidification of air is performed by a combination of the membrane unit and the ECOS system, and the sensible cooling of air is accommodated by a high-efficiency conventional chiller and in part by the membrane device. In order to find an optimized balance of the three air-conditioning components, an optimization-based simulation approach using a genetic algorithm is developed. The optimization is based on a simple objective function that comprises operating and investment costs. The optimization results reveal that an integration of a relatively large membrane unit, a small ECOS unit and a chiller operating at an elevated evaporation temperature is the most cost effective combination meeting comfort criteria. The resulting optimized combination has potential to save more than 50% of the system's lifetime operating cost compared to conventional systems supplying 100% fresh air.

Keywords: Air-conditioning systems; Tropical climates; Membrane dehumidification; Solid desiccant dehumidification; System optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:101:y:2016:i:c:p:52-64

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2016.02.007

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