Humidity grade-matched fresh air dehumidification system with adjustable treating stages

Abstract

Air conditioning systems using liquid desiccants are efficient in dehumidification, but their performance can be further improved under both design and different partial load conditions. In this study, a humidity grade-matched system with adjustable treatment stages is designed based on the use of appropriate humidity sinks to handle loads. The method to determine reasonable treatment stage numbers and packing tower areas is given by optimizing the total system energy consumption and economic performance under different working conditions, based on validated numerical system performance models and device prices from the market or literature. The performance of the proposed system is compared with traditional systems in a case office building in Nanjing. The results are as follows: 1. By optimizing the total system power consumption and economic performance under different conditions, the humidity difference for one-stage and mass transfer humidity difference should be set at 3–5 and 2–3 g/kg to determine the stage number and packing tower area, respectively. 2. The proposed fresh air dehumidification system as applied to an office building without exhaust air in Nanjing reduces 16.6% and 13.5% of the seasonal energy consumption for the entire system relative to single-stage and three-stage systems, respectively. 3. When the system selectively uses exhaust air or outdoor air, 11.0% of additional seasonal energy consumption can be saved for the entire system relative to a system using only outdoor air.