A Critical Review on Solid Desiccant-Based Hybrid Cooling Systems

Abstract

The present review provides scientific and technical support on how solid desiccant-based hybrid cooling can be a supplement to the commonly used vapor compression-based traditional air-conditioning systems to provide the indoor thermal comfort to the occupants. The existing design of standalone vapor compression system needs to be modified by integrating it with the solid desiccant-based dehumidification system to achieve better performance and economic feasibility by handling humidity and temperature separately especially in case of hot humid conditions. The present study is undertaken by considering variety of aspects including background and need for alternative cooling systems, system configuration as well as operational modes and current status of desiccant-based hybrid cooling technology. The review work also indicates that the technology of desiccant-based hybrid cooling has a great potential to provide thermal comfort especially in hot humid climate at the expense of lower energy consumption as compared to traditional cooling systems.