Experimental study for hybrid humidification–dehumidification water desalination and air conditioning system

• A new hybrid humidification–dehumidification and air conditioning system is proposed and investigated. • The proposed system keeps the function of the air conditioning system and uses it in water desalination. • The effects of system operating parameters on system performance were evaluated and correlated. a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o An experimental study of the performance of a hybrid humidification–dehumidification water desalination and air conditioning system using vapor compression refrigeration cycle is presented and investigated. A test rig is designed and constructed to study the performance under different operating parameters (air flow rate, air inlet temperature, specific humidity and evaporator saturation temperature). The effects of these operating parameters on fresh (desalinated) water production rate, refrigeration capacity, compressor work per kilogram of fresh water, mass transfer coefficient and supply air conditions to conditioned space (air temperature and relative humidity) are investigated and analyzed. The results show the enhancement of the fresh water production rate, the refrigeration capacity and the compressor work per kilogram of fresh water with increasing air specific humidity and air mass flow rate. The supply air temperature and relative humidity increase remarkably with increasing fresh water rate. Experimental correlations for fresh water production rate, refrigeration capacity and compressor work per kilogram of fresh water in terms of all studied parameters are deduced and presented within accepted error. There is a lack of drinkable water in most of hot and humid environment regions around the world. At the same time, these regions need air conditioning systems for thermal comfort. Nowadays, many of the countries depend on water desalination systems to supply their water demands. Atmospheric water vapor processing (AWVP) is a recent technology of fresh water production, especially for hot and humid climates. Nevertheless, produced fresh water is slightly compared to the present methods; it is a choice to be studied for low water demand regions [1]. Aly et al. [2] studied theoretically and experimentally the performance of the mechanical vapor compression (MVC) desalination system. Siqueiros and Holland [3] proposed desalination systems operated by heat pumps (mechanical vapor compression and/or absorption machines) as a compact and less cost structure that has first been used for the dry areas in north of Mexico. Additionally, the reasonable economic potential is given as compared to reverse osmosis technology. Hawlader [4] studied and described a novel solar-assisted heat pump …