EVALUATION OF LIQUID DESSICANT BASED EVAPORATIVE COOLING CYCLES FOR TYPICAL HOT AND HUMID CLIMATES

This communication presents an evaluation of various liquid dessicant cycles for air conditioning in hot and humid climates. Psychrometric e valuation of seven potential cycles for achieving standard comfort con ditions (25-degrees-C/10 g/kg) in rooms has been carried out for 16 ty pical Indian cities. A computer simulation model is based on the const ant effectiveness of heat exchangers (HX)/evaporative coolers (EC) and wet surface heat exchangers (WSHE). The absorber-cum-dehumidifier is assumed to provide air at the specified humidity. level, while the out let air temperature is taken to be equal to the cooling water temperat ure. The effect of various outdoor conditions and the effectiveness of HXs/ECs on cooling COP and volumetric air flow rate per unit cooling capacity have been investigated. It was found that a combination of de humidifier and WSHE is better, in terms of COP, for a wide range of ou tdoor conditions. The results should be useful in the design of liquid dessicant based air conditioning systems suitable for the monsoon sea son in tropical countries like India.