Reversible Replenishment Air-Conditioning System

To greatly improve energy efficiency and performance of Naval Ship HVAC systems, an efficient, compact, heat-driven absorption-based HVAC technology capable of dehumidification/ cooling and heating was proposed and investigated in Phase I. This technology involves efficient treatment of air conditioning latent load enabled by recent advancements made at Micro Nano Technologies (MNT). The new technology relies on a thermodynamically favorable route that involves direct removal of moisture from air rather than condensing moisture on cooling coils as in conventional vapor compression cycles. In the proposed Phase II effort, a working prototype of the system will be built, and its reliable operation will be demonstrated to prove its capability to reduce shipboard HVAC power consumption at a variety of inlet air conditions, at design (tropical, summer, and winter) and off-design conditions. This system, sized for an airflow of 2000 cubic feet per minute (cfm), will have 10-tons cooling capacity when subjected to summer design conditions and 30 kilowatts (kW) heating capacity at winter design conditions. The system will be designed to meet all geometrical, piping, electrical, and electronics interfaces within the navy shipboard environment. The system will also be mechanically tested (shock, vibration, hazard, etc.) to ensure its compliance with the applicable MIL standards. If successful, these efforts will demonstrate the functionality and performance of a compact, efficient absorption dehumidification and heating system optimized for operation within the high latent loads present in shipboard operations. Additionally, the system does not use GWP refrigerants and could increase shipboard IAQ and reduce humidity-driven failure of shipboard equipment.