Performance analysis of a no-frost hybrid air conditioning system with integrated liquid desiccant dehumidification

This paper reports a performance analysis for a hybrid air conditioning system. In this system, the sensible heat load is primarily treated by a vapor compression heat hump; the latent heat load is treated by a liquid dehumidification system that uses a lithium chloride solution as a desiccant. In addition, by decreasing the humidity ratio of air flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger of the vapor compression heat pump, frosting can be retarded. The overall system performance was evaluated by a cycle simulation conducted both in summer and winter modes. Compared to a traditional air conditioning system, the hybrid air conditioning system improves the coefficient of performance (COP) by approximately 20% and 100% in summer and winter, respectively.