A Review of Experimental and Numerical Evaluations of Solar-Powered Liquid Desiccant Dehumidification Systems

Abstract

A review of the literature focusing on the latest developments in liquid desiccant air dehumidification, with an emphasis on component, system, and material manipulation techniques, is also included in this study. It takes a lot of energy to regulate indoor humidity, particularly in tropical and subtropical nations. The air supplied to the system can be dried in a single step by using a liquid desiccant for dehumidification. Energy storage, high-quality air, low-grade thermal energy, and humidity control are some of the benefits of this technology. As with the recent decades developed, this technology and in recent decades this technology has been modified and its limitations have been studied on a large scale. However, several issues still exist, primarily due to the use of a corrosive desiccant with a limited heat capacity and insufficient wettability on the packing column. The aforementioned research outlines the challenges that come up when using a desiccant, including large heat loads, inadequate wetting, a tiny contact area of liquids and air, an ineffective solution of droplet loading, and a large amplitude of temperature in heat/mass transfer. After that, optimization techniques are assessed to enhance the system's functionality and viability in these three domains. Optimization of the system using a heat pump, vapor compression device, solar collector, or waste heat recovery materials, such as desiccant materials, packaging/panel surfaces, or honeycomb paper, a new type of vacuum regenerator, electrolysis, or a hollow fiber membrane dehumidifier. This review will help identify research gaps and identify contemporary methods to improve the practicality of removing moisture from the air using a liquid desiccant.