Overview of Open-Cycle Desiccant Cooling Systems and Materials

This paper has presented a review of the thermodynamics of three desiccant cooling cycles: the ventilation cycle, the recirculation cycle, and the Dunkle cycle. For the ventilation cycle the qualitative effects of changes in the effectiveness of individual components were analyzed. There are two possible paths to improved dehumidifier performance: changing the design of dehumidifiers usingcurrently available desiccants so as to increase effectiveness without increasing parasitic losses, or developing new desiccants specifically tailored for solar cooling applications. The later part of this paper has considered the second option. A list of desirable desiccant properties was defined, properties of currently used solid and liquid desiccants were compared to this list, and ahypothetical desiccant type that would give improved system performance was discussed.