ENERGY-STORAGE IN OPEN-CYCLE LIQUID DESICCANT COOLING SYSTEMS

Energy for air dehumidification and cooling can be stored efficiently and non-dissipatively in liquid desiccants. For optimal storage capaci ty, new dehumidifiers have been developed and tested, dehumidifying ai r by a cooled microflow of a hygroscopic aqueous salt solution, e.g. L iCl-H2O in an almost isothermal absorption process. A small, theoretic ally sufficient solution flow of about 0.21 l/(hm(2)) could be distrib uted uniformly over a cooled exchanger surface. An air dehumidificatio n of 5.5 g/kg and a storage solution has been measured under steady st ate ARI conditions with an experimental dehumidifier for an air flow of 1000 m(3)/h. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd and IIR. All rights rese rved.