A review of internal cooling strategies in liquid desiccant dehumidification and cooling systems

Abstract

Air conditioning systems have become an integral part of society, and their utilization is increasing day by day. Most air conditioning systems use the vapor compression refrigeration (VCR) principle, which is a 190-year-old technology and has undergone significant changes to improve its performance and efficiency. However, the major drawback of VCR is its high energy consumption and use of highly polluting refrigerants. In this 21st century, energy conservation and environmental protection are the need of the hour. To mitigate the challenges, the search for alternative cooling systems that are eco-friendly and have less energy consumption is gaining wide attention. Liquid desiccant systems are gaining popularity due to less energy consumption and being eco-friendly. Therefore, this study attempts to review the recent developments in liquid desiccant technology by focusing on internal cooling strategies. As the internal cooling improves the overall performance of the liquid desiccant by controlling the liquid temperatures. Therefore, this review highlights the various methods, configurations and mathematical simulations in internal cooling, which are less explored in the available literature.