Modeling and Optimization of a Solar-Driven System Coupled with Liquid Dehumidification and Absorption Refrigeration Based on Advanced Exergy and Exergoeconomic Analyses

Abstract

A novel hybrid system coupled liquid dehumidification with absorption refrigeration driven by solar energy is proposed. Traditional and advanced exergy and exergoeconomic analyses of the system are conducted to ascertain the degree of irreversibility and potential improvement for each component. Based on the advanced exergy and exergoeconomic analyses, the effects of air humidity, segment temperature, and refrigeration temperature on the total exergy destruction and cost rates of the system are obtained. The total avoidable exergy destruction rate, avoidable exergy destruction cost rate, and avoidable investment cost rate of the system are selected as objective functions and optimized by using nondominated sort genetic algorithm-II. The results show that the total exergy destruction rate and the total exergy destruction cost rate reach 262.39 kW and 8.563 $/h, respectively. The generator and regenerator have higher cost rates of the irreversibility overall system, achieving the values 3.536 and 2.430 $/h, respectively. The absorber has the highest investment cost rate in the whole system. The endogenous parts of the exergy destruction and cost rates are much higher than the exogenous parts in the system. Multiobjective optimization results show that optimal values for the total avoidable exergy destruction rate and the exergy destruction cost rate are 50.99 kW and 1.60 $/h, which are 4.15 and 9.14% lower than those calculated by single-objective optimization, respectively. This study provides a potential way to utilize solar energy for dehumidification and refrigeration.