METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MINI-SPLIT LIQUID DESICCANT AIR CONDITIONING

Abstract

A split liquid desiccant air conditioning system is disclosed for treating an air stream flowing into a space in a building. The split liquid desiccant air-conditioning system is switchable between operating in a warm weather operation mode and a cold weather operation mode.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/783,176 filed on Mar. 14, 2013 entitled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MINI-SPLIT LIQUID DESICCANT AIR CONDITIONING, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present application relates generally to the use of liquid desiccants to dehumidify and cool, or heat and humidify an air stream entering a space. More specifically, the application relates to the replacement of conventional mini-split air conditioning units with (membrane based) liquid desiccant air conditioning system to accomplish the same heating and cooling capabilities as those conventional mini-split air conditioners.

Desiccant dehumidification systems—both liquid and solid desiccants—have been used parallel to conventional vapor compression HVAC equipment to help reduce humidity in spaces, particularly in spaces that require large amounts of outdoor air or that have large humidity loads inside the building space itself. (ASHRAE 2012 Handbook of HVAC Systems and Equipment, Chapter 24, p. 24.10). Humid climates, such as for example Miami, Fla. require a lot of energy to properly treat (dehumidify and cool) the fresh air that is required for a space's occupant comfort. Desiccant dehumidification systems—both solid and liquid—have been used for many years and are generally quite efficient at removing moisture from the air stream. However, liquid desiccant systems generally use concentrated salt solutions such as ionic solutions of LiCl, LiBr or CaCl₂ and water. Such brines are strongly corrosive, even in small quantities, so numerous attempts have been made over the years to prevent desiccant carry-over to the air stream that is to be treated. In recent years efforts have begun to eliminate the risk of desiccant carry-over by employing micro-porous membranes to contain the desiccant. These membrane based liquid desiccant systems have been primarily applied to unitary rooftop units for commercial buildings. However, residential and small commercial buildings often use mini-split air conditioners wherein the condenser is located outside and the evaporator cooling coil is installed in the room or space than needs to be cooled, and unitary rooftop units are not an appropriate choice for servicing those spaces.

Liquid desiccant systems generally have two separate functions. The conditioning side of the system provides conditioning of air to the required conditions, which are typically set using thermostats or humidistats. The regeneration side of the system provides a reconditioning function of the liquid desiccant so that it can be re-used on the conditioning side. Liquid desiccant is typically pumped between the two sides, and a control system helps to ensure that the liquid desiccant is properly balanced between the two sides as conditions necessitate and that excess heat and moisture are properly dealt with without leading to over-concentrating or under-concentrating the desiccant.

In many smaller buildings a small evaporator coil is hung high up on a wall or covered by a painting as for example the LG LAN126HNP Art Cool Picture frame. A condenser is installed outside and high pressure refrigerant lines connect the two components. Furthermore a drain line for condensate is installed to remove moisture that is condensed on the evaporator coil to the outside. A liquid desiccant system can significantly reduce electricity consumption and can be easier to install without the need for high pressure refrigerant lines that need to be installed on site.

Mini-split systems typically take 100% room air through the evaporator coil and fresh air only reaches the room through ventilation and infiltration from other sources. This often can result in high humidity and cool temperatures in the space since the evaporator coil is not very efficient for removing moisture. Rather, the evaporator coil is better suited for sensible cooling. On days where only a small amount of cooling is required the building can reach unacceptable levels of humidity since not enough natural heat is available to balance the large amount of sensible cooling.

There thus remains a need to provide a retrofitable cooling system for small buildings with high humidity loads, wherein the cooling and dehumidification of indoor air can be accommodated at low capital and energy costs.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Provided herein are methods and systems used for the efficient cooling and dehumidification of an air stream especially in small commercial or residential buildings using a mini-split liquid desiccant air conditioning system. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the liquid desiccant flows down the face of a support plate as a falling film. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the desiccant is contained by a microporous membrane and the air stream is directed in a primarily vertical orientation over the surface of the membrane and whereby both latent and sensible heat are absorbed from the air stream into the liquid desiccant. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the support plate is filled with a heat transfer fluid that ideally is flowing in a direction counter to the air stream. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the system comprises a conditioner that removes latent and sensible heat through the liquid desiccant into the heat transfer fluid and a regenerator that rejects the latent and sensible heat from the heat transfer fluid to the environment. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the heat transfer fluid in the conditioner is cooled by a refrigerant compressor or an external source of cold heat transfer fluid. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the regenerator is heated by a refrigerant compressor or an external source of hot heat transfer fluid. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the refrigerant compressor is reversible to provide heated heat transfer fluid to the conditioner and cold heat transfer fluid to the regenerator and the conditioned air is heat and humidified and the regenerated air is cooled and dehumidified. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the conditioner is mounted against a wall in a space and the regenerator is mounted outside of the building. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the regenerator supplies liquid desiccant to the conditioner through a heat exchanger. In one or more embodiments, the heat exchanger comprises two desiccant lines that are bonded together to provide a thermal contact. In one or more embodiments, the conditioner receives 100% room air. In one or more embodiments, the regenerator receives 100% outside air. In one or more embodiments, the conditioner and evaporator are mounted behind a flat screen TV or flat screen monitor or some similar device.

In accordance with one or more embodiments a liquid desiccant membrane system employs an indirect evaporator to generate a cold heat transfer fluid wherein the cold heat transfer fluid is used to cool a liquid desiccant conditioner. Furthermore in one or more embodiments, the indirect evaporator receives a portion of the air stream that was earlier treated by the conditioner. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the air stream between the conditioner and indirect evaporator is adjustable through some convenient means, e.g., through a set of adjustable louvers or through a fan with adjustable fan speed. In one or more embodiments, the water supplied to the indirect evaporator is potable water. In one or more embodiments, the water is seawater. In one or more embodiments, the water is waste water. In one or more embodiments, the indirect evaporator uses a membrane to prevent carry-over of non-desirable elements from the seawater or waste water. In one or more embodiments, the water in the indirect evaporator is not cycled back to the top of the indirect evaporator such as would happen in a cooling tower, but between 20% and 80% of the water is evaporated and the remainder is discarded. In one or more embodiments, the indirect evaporator is mounted directly behind or directly next to the conditioner. In one or more embodiments, the conditioner and evaporator are mounted behind a flat screen TV or flat screen monitor or some similar device. In one or more embodiments, the exhaust air from the indirect evaporator is exhausted out of the building space. In one or more embodiments, the liquid desiccant is pumped to a regenerator mounted outside the space through a heat exchanger. In one or more embodiments, the heat exchanger comprises two lines that are thermally bonded together to provide a heat exchange function. In one or more embodiments, the regenerator receives heat from a heat source. In one or more embodiments, the heat source is a solar heat source. In one or more embodiments, the heat source is a gas-fired water heater. In one or more embodiments, the heat source is a steam pipe. In one or more embodiments, the heat source is waste heat from an industrial process or some other convenient heat source. In one or more embodiments, the heat source can be switched to provide heat to the conditioner for winter heating operation. In one or more embodiments, the heat source also provides heat to the indirect evaporator. In one or more embodiments, the indirect evaporator can be directed to provide humid warm air to the space rather than exhausting the air to the outside.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, the indirect evaporator is used to provide heated, humidified air to a supply air stream to a space while a conditioner is simultaneously used to provide heated, humidified air to the same space. This allows the system to provide heated, humidified air to a space in winter conditions. The conditioner is heated and is desorbing water vapor from a desiccant and the indirect evaporator can be heated as well and is desorbing water vapor from liquid water. In combination the indirect evaporator and conditioner provide heated humidified air to the building space for winter heating conditions.

In no way is the description of the applications intended to limit the disclosure to these applications. Many construction variations can be envisioned to combine the various elements mentioned above each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The present disclosure in no way is limited to a particular set or combination of such elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary 3-way liquid desiccant air conditioning system using a chiller or external heating or cooling sources.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary flexibly configurable membrane module that incorporates 3-way liquid desiccant plates.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary single membrane plate in the liquid desiccant membrane module of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic of a conventional mini-split air conditioning system.

FIG. 5A shows a schematic of an exemplary chiller assisted mini-split liquid desiccant air conditioning system in a summer cooling mode in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 5B shows a schematic of an exemplary chiller assisted mini-split liquid desiccant air conditioning system in a winter heating mode in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 6 shows an alternate embodiment of a mini-split liquid desiccant air conditioning system using an indirect evaporative cooler and an external heat source in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 7 shows the liquid desiccant mini-split system of FIG. 6 configured for operation in a winter heating mode in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an exemplary liquid desiccant mini-split system similar to FIG. 5A.

FIG. 9A illustrates a cut-away rear-view of the system of FIG. 8.

FIG. 9B illustrates a cut-away front-view of the system of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 shows a three dimensional view of a liquid desiccant mini-split system of FIG. 6 in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 11 shows a cut-away view of the system of FIG. 10 in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary liquid desiccant supply and return structure comprising two bonded plastic tubes creating a heat exchange effect in accordance with one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts a new type of liquid desiccant system as described in more detail in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 20120125020, which is incorporated by reference herein. A conditioner 101 comprises a set of plate structures that are internally hollow. A cold heat transfer fluid is generated in cold source 107 and entered into the plates. Liquid desiccant solution at 114 is brought onto the outer surface of the plates and runs down the outer surface of each of the plates. The liquid desiccant runs behind a thin membrane that is located between the air flow and the surface of the plates. Outside air 103 is now blown through the set of wavy plates. The liquid desiccant on the surface of the plates attracts the water vapor in the air flow and the cooling water inside the plates helps to inhibit the air temperature from rising. The treated air 104 is put into a building space.

The liquid desiccant is collected at the bottom of the wavy plates at 111 and is transported through a heat exchanger 113 to the top of the regenerator 102 to point 115 where the liquid desiccant is distributed across the wavy plates of the regenerator. Return air or optionally outside air 105 is blown across the regenerator plate and water vapor is transported from the liquid desiccant into the leaving air stream 106. An optional heat source 108 provides the driving force for the regeneration. The hot transfer fluid 110 from the heat source can be put inside the wavy plates of the regenerator similar to the cold heat transfer fluid on the conditioner. Again, the liquid desiccant is collected at the bottom of the wavy plates 102 without the need for either a collection pan or bath so that also on the regenerator the air flow can be horizontal or vertical. An optional heat pump 116 can be used to provide cooling and heating of the liquid desiccant. It is also possible to connect a heat pump between the cold source 107 and the hot source 108, which is thus pumping heat from the cooling fluids rather than the desiccant.

FIG. 2 describes a 3-way heat exchanger as described in further detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/915,199 filed on Jun. 11, 2013, Ser. No. 13/915,222 filed on Jun. 11, 2013, and Ser. No. 13/915,262 filed on Jun. 11, 2013, which are all incorporated by reference herein. A liquid desiccant enters the structure through ports 304 and is directed behind a series of membranes as described in FIG. 1. The liquid desiccant is collected and removed through ports 305. A cooling or heating fluid is provided through ports 306 and runs counter to the air stream 301 inside the hollow plate structures, again as described in FIG. 1 and in more detail in FIG. 3. The cooling or heating fluids exit through ports 307. The treated air 302 is directed to a space in a building or is exhausted as the case may be.

FIG. 3 describes a 3-way heat exchanger as described in more detail in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/771,340 filed on Mar. 1, 2013, which is incorporated by reference herein. The air stream 251 flows counter to a cooling fluid stream 254. Membranes 252 contain a liquid desiccant 253 that is falling along the wall 255 that contain a heat transfer fluid 254. Water vapor 256 entrained in the air stream is able to transition the membrane 252 and is absorbed into the liquid desiccant 253. The heat of condensation of water 258 that is released during the absorption is conducted through the wall 255 into the heat transfer fluid 254. Sensible heat 257 from the air stream is also conducted through the membrane 252, liquid desiccant 253 and wall 255 into the heat transfer fluid 254.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a conventional mini-split air conditioning system as is frequently installed on buildings. The unit comprises a set of indoor components that generate cool, dehumidified air and a set of outdoor components that release heat to the environment. The indoor components comprise a cooling (evaporator) coil 401 through which a fan 407 blows air 408 from the room. The cooling coil cools the air and condenses water vapor on the coil which is collected in drain pan 418 and ducted to the outside 419. The resulting cooler, drier air 409 is circulated into the space and provides occupant comfort. The cooling coil 401 receives liquid refrigerant at pressures of typically 50-200 psi through line 412, which has already been expanded to a low temperature and pressure by expansion valve 406. The pressure of the refrigerant in line 412 is typically 300-600 psi. The cold liquid refrigerant 410 enters the cooling coil 401 where it picks up heat from the air stream 408. The heat from the air stream evaporates the liquid refrigerant in the coil and the resulting gas is transported through line 404 to the outdoor components and more specifically to the compressor 402 where it is re-compressed to a high pressure of typically 300-600 psi. In some instances the system can have multiple cooling coils 410, fans 407 and expansion valves 406, for example a cooling coil assembly could be located in various rooms that need to be cooled.

Besides the compressor 402, the outdoor components comprise a condenser coil 403 and a condenser fan 417. The fan 417 blows outside air 415 through the condenser coil 403 where it picks up heat from the compressor 402 which is rejected by air stream 416. The compressor 402 creates hot compressed refrigerant in line 411. The heat of compression is rejected in the condenser coil 403. In some instances the system can have multiple compressors or multiple condenser coils and fans. The primary electrical energy consuming components are the compressor through electrical line 413, the condenser fan electrical motor through supply line 414 and the evaporator fan motor through line 405. In general the compressor uses close to 80% of the electricity required to operate the system, with the condenser and evaporator fans taking about 10% of the electricity each.

FIG. 5A illustrates a schematic representation of a liquid desiccant air conditioner system. A 3-way conditioner 503 (which is similar to the conditioner 101 of FIG. 1) receives an air stream 501 from a room (“RA”). Fan 502 moves the air 501 through the conditioner 503 wherein the air is cooled and dehumidified. The resulting cool, dry air 504 (“SA”) is supplied to the room for occupant comfort. The 3-way conditioner 503 receives a concentrated desiccant 527 in the manner explained under FIGS. 1-3. It is preferable to use a membrane on the 3-way conditioner 503 to ensure that the desiccant is generally fully contained and is unable to get distributed into the air stream 504. The diluted desiccant 528, which contains the captured water vapor is transported to the outside regenerator 522. Furthermore the chilled water 509 is provided by pump 508, enters the conditioner module 503 where it picks up heat from the air as well as latent heat released by the capture of water vapor in the desiccant 527. The warmer water 506 is also brought outside to the heat exchanger 507 on the chiller system 530. It is worth noting that unlike the mini-split system of FIG. 4, which has high pressure between 50 and 600 psi, the lines between the indoor and outdoor system of FIG. 5A are all low pressure water and liquid desiccant lines. This allows the lines to be inexpensive plastics rather than refrigerant lines in FIG. 4, which are typically copper and need to be braised in order to withstand the high refrigerant pressures. It is also worth noting that the system of FIG. 5A does not require a condensate drain line like line 419 in FIG. 4. Rather, any moisture that is condensed into the desiccant is removed as part of the desiccant itself. This also eliminates problems with mold growth in standing water that can occur in the conventional mini-split systems of FIG. 4.

The liquid desiccant 528 leaves the conditioner 503 and is moved through the optional heat exchanger 526 to the regenerator 522 by pump 525. If the desiccant lines 527 and 528 are relatively long they can be thermally connected to each other, which eliminates the need for heat exchanger 526.

The chiller system 530 comprises a water to refrigerant evaporator heat exchanger 507 which cools the circulating cooling fluid 506. The liquid, cold refrigerant 517 evaporates in the heat exchanger 507 thereby absorbing the thermal energy from the cooling fluid 506. The gaseous refrigerant 510 is now re-compressed by compressor 511. The compressor 511 ejects hot refrigerant gas 513, which is liquefied in the condenser heat exchanger 515. The liquid refrigerant 514 then enters expansion valve 516, where it rapidly cools and exits at a lower pressure. It is worth noting that the chiller system 530 can be made very compact since the high pressure lines with refrigerant (510, 513, 514 and 517) only have to run very short distances. Furthermore, since the entire refrigerant system is located outside of the space that is to be conditioned, it is possible to utilize refrigerants that normally cannot be used in indoor environments such as by way of example, CO₂, Ammonia and Propane. These refrigerants are sometimes preferable over the commonly used R410A, R407A, R134A or R1234YF refrigerants, but they are undesirable indoor because of flammability or suffocation or inhaling risks. By keeping all of the refrigerants outside, these risks are essentially eliminated. The condenser heat exchanger 515 now releases heat to another cooling fluid loop 519 which brings hot heat transfer fluid 518 to the regenerator 522. Circulating pump 520 brings the heat transfer fluid back to the condenser 515. The 3-way regenerator 522 thus receives a dilute liquid desiccant 528 and hot heat transfer fluid 518. A fan 524 brings outside air 523 (“OA”) through the regenerator 522. The outside air picks up heat and moisture from the heat transfer fluid 518 and desiccant 528 which results in hot humid exhaust air (“EA”) 521.

The compressor 511 receives electrical power 512 and typically accounts for 80% of electrical power consumption of the system. The fan 502 and fan 524 also receive electrical power 505 and 529 respectively and account for most of the remaining power consumption. Pumps 508, 520 and 525 have relatively low power consumption. The compressor 511 will operate more efficiently than the compressor 402 in FIG. 4 for several reasons: the evaporator 507 in FIG. 5A will typically operate at higher temperature than the evaporator 401 in FIG. 4 because the liquid desiccant will condense water at much higher temperature without needing to reach saturation levels in the air stream. Furthermore the condenser 515 in FIG. 5A will operate at lower temperatures than the condenser 403 in FIG. 4 because of the evaporation occurring on the regenerator 522 which effectively keeps the condenser 515 cooler. As a result the system of FIG. 5A will use less electricity than the system of FIG. 4 for similar compressor isoentropic efficiencies.

FIG. 5B shows essentially the same system as FIG. 5A except that the compressor 511's refrigerant direction has been reversed as indicated by the arrows on refrigerant lines 514 and 510. Reversing the direction of refrigerant flow can be achieved by a 4-way reversing valve (not shown) or other convenient means. It is also possible to instead of reversing the refrigerant flow to direct the hot heat transfer fluid 518 to the conditioner 503 and the cold heat transfer fluid 506 to the regenerator 522. This will in effect provide heat to the conditioner which will now create hot, humid air 504 for the space for operation in winter mode. In effect the system is now working as a heat pump, pumping heat from the outside air 523 to the space supply air 504. However unlike the system of FIG. 4, which is oftentimes also reversible, there is much less of a risk of the coil freezing because the desiccant 525 usually has much lower crystallization limit than water vapor. In the system of FIG. 4, the air stream 523 contains water vapor and if the condenser coil 403 gets too cold, this moisture will condense on the surfaces and create ice formation on those surfaces. The same moisture in the regenerator of FIG. 5B will condense in the liquid desiccant which—when managed properly will not crystallize until −60° C. for some desiccants such as LiCl and water.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a mini-split liquid desiccant system. Similar to FIG. 5A, a 3-way liquid desiccant conditioner 503 receives an air stream 501 (“RA”) moved by fan 502 through the conditioner 503. However unlike the case of FIG. 5A, a portion 601 of the supply air stream 504 (“SA”) is directed towards an indirect evaporative cooling module 602 through sets of louvers 610 and 611. Air stream 601 is usually between 0 and 40% of the flow of air stream 504. The dry air stream 601 is now directed through the 3-way indirect evaporative cooling module 602 which is constructed similarly to the 3-way conditioner module 503, except that instead of using a desiccant behind a membrane, the module now has a water film behind such membrane supplied by water source 607. This water film can be potable water, non-potable water, seawater or waste water or any other convenient water containing substance that is mostly water. The water film evaporates in the dry air stream 601 creating a cooling effect in the heat transfer fluid 604 which is then circulated to the conditioner module as cold heat transfer fluid 605 by pump 603. The cold water 605 then cools the conditioner module 503, which in turn creates cooler drier air 504, which then results in an even stronger cooling effect in the indirect evaporative module 602. As a result the supply air 504 will ultimately be both dry and cold and is supplied to the space for occupant comfort. Conditioner module 503 also receives a concentrated liquid desiccant 527 that absorbs moisture from the air stream 501. Dilute liquid desiccant 528 is then returned to the regenerator 522 similar to FIG. 5A. It is of course possible to locate the indirect evaporative cooler 602 outside of the space rather than inside, but for thermal reasons it is probably better to mount the indirect evaporator 602 in close proximity to the conditioner 503. The indirect evaporative cooling module 602 does not evaporate all of the water (typically 50 to 80%) and thus a drain 608 is employed. The exhaust air stream 606 (“EA1”) from the module evaporative cooling module 602 is brought to the outside since it is warm and very humid.

As in FIG. 5A, the concentrated liquid desiccant 527 and dilute liquid desiccant 528 pass through a heat exchanger 526 by pump 525. As before one can thermally connect the lines 527 and 528 which eliminates the need for heat exchanger 526. The 3-way regenerator 522 as before receives an outdoor air stream 523 through fan 524. And as before a hot heat transfer fluid 518 is applied to the 3-way regenerator module 522 by pump 520. However unlike the system of FIG. 5A, there is no heat from a compressor to use in the regenerator 522, so an external heat source 609 needs to be provided. This heat source can be a gas water heater, a solar module, a solar thermal/PV hybrid module (a PVT module), it can be heat from a steam loop or other convenient source of heat or hot water. In order to prevent over-concentration of the desiccant 528, a supplemental heat dump 614 can be employed which can temporarily absorb heat from the heat source 609. An additional fan 613 and air stream 612 are then necessary as well. Of course other forms of heat dumps can be devised and may not always be required. The heat source 609 ensures that the excess water is evaporated from the desiccant 528 so that it can be re-used on the conditioner 503. As a result the exhaust stream 521 (“EA2”) comprises hot, humid air. It is worth noting that again no high pressure lines are needed between the indoor and outside components of the system. A single water line for water supply is needed and a drain line for the removal of excess water. However a compressor and heat exchanger are no longer required in this embodiment. As a result this system will use significantly less electricity than the system of FIG. 4 and the system of FIG. 5A. The major consumption of electricity are now the fans 502 and 524 through electrical supply lines 505 and 529 respectively and the liquid pumps 603, 520 and 525. However these devices consume considerably less power than the compressor 402 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 illustrates the system of FIG. 6 reconfigured slightly to allow for operation in winter heating mode. The heat source 609 now provides hot heat transfer fluid to the conditioner module 503 through lines 701. As a result the supply air to the space 504 will be warm and humid. It is also possible to provide hot heat transfer fluid 703 to the indirect evaporative cooler 602 and to direct the hot, humid exhaust air 702 to the space rather than to the outside. This increases the available heating and humidification capacity of the system since both the conditioner 503 and the indirect evaporative “cooler” 602 (or “heater” may be a better moniker) are operating to provide the same hot humid air and this can be handy since heating capacity in winter typically needs to be larger than cooling capacity in summer.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the system of FIG. 5A. The air intake 801 allows for air from space 805 to enter the conditioner unit 503 (not shown). The air supply exits from roster 803 into the space. A flat screen television 802 or painting, or monitor or any other suitable device can be used to visually hide the conditioner 503. An external wall 804 would be a logical place to mount the conditioner system. A regenerator and chiller system 807 can be mounted in a convenient outside location 806. Desiccant supply and return lines 809 and cold heat transfer fluid supply and return lines 808 connect the two sides of the system.

FIG. 9A shows a cut-away view of the rear side of the system in FIG. 8. The regenerator module 522 receives liquid desiccant from lines 809. A compressor 511 an expansion valve 516 and two refrigerant to liquid heat exchangers 507 and 515 are also shown. Other components have not been shown for convenience.

FIG. 9B shows a cut-away view of the front side of the system in FIG. 8. The flat screen TV 802 has been omitted to allow a view of the conditioner module 503.

FIG. 10 shows an aspect of an embodiment of the system of FIG. 6. The system has an air intake 801 and a supply roster 803 similar to the system of FIG. 8. As in FIG. 8, a TV 802 or something similar can be used to cover the conditioner module 503. The unit can be mounted to wall 804 and provide conditioning of the space 805. The system also has an exhaust 606 that penetrates the wall 804. On the outside 806, the regenerator module 902 provides concentrated liquid desiccant to the conditioner section (not shown) through desiccant supply and return lines 809. A water supply line 901 is also shown. A source of hot heat transfer fluid can be the solar PVT module 903 which provides hot water through line 905 which after being cooled through the regenerator returns heat transfer fluid to the PVT module 903 through line 904. An integrated hot water storage tank 906 can provide both a hot water buffer as well as a ballast for the PVT module 903.

FIG. 11 shows a cut-away view of the system of FIG. 10. The conditioner module 503 can be clearly seen as can the indirect evaporator module 602. Inside the regenerator module 902 one can see the regenerator module 522 as well as the optional heat dump 614 and fan 612.

FIG. 12 illustrates a structure 809 for the supply and return of the liquid desiccant to the indoor conditioning unit. The structure comprises a polymer material such as for example an extruded High Density Polypropylene or High Density Polyethylene material the comprises two passages 1201 and 1202 for the supply and return of desiccant respectively. The wall 1203 between the two passages could be manufactured from a thermally conductive polymer, but in many cases that may not be necessary because the length of the structure 809 is by itself sufficient to provide adequate heat exchange capacity between the supply and return liquids.

Having thus described several illustrative embodiments, it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to form a part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. While some examples presented herein involve specific combinations of functions or structural elements, it should be understood that those functions and elements may be combined in other ways according to the present disclosure to accomplish the same or different objectives. In particular, acts, elements, and features discussed in connection with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from similar or other roles in other embodiments. Additionally, elements and components described herein may be further divided into additional components or joined together to form fewer components for performing the same functions. Accordingly, the foregoing description and attached drawings are by way of example only, and are not intended to be limiting.

Claims

1. A split liquid desiccant air conditioning system for treating an air stream flowing into a space in a building, said split liquid desiccant air-conditioning system being switchable between operating in a warm weather operation mode and a cold weather operation mode, the split liquid desiccant air conditioning system comprising:

a conditioner located inside the building, said conditioner including a plurality of structures arranged in a substantially vertical orientation, each structure having at least one surface across which a liquid desiccant can flow, each structure also including a passage through which a heat transfer fluid can flow, wherein the air stream to be treated flows between the structures such that the liquid desiccant dehumidifies and cools the air stream in the warm weather operation mode and humidifies and heats the air stream in the cold weather operation mode, the conditioner further comprising a sheet of material positioned proximate to the at least one surface of each structure between the liquid desiccant and the air stream, said sheet of material permitting transfer of water vapor between the liquid desiccant and the air stream;

a regenerator located outside the building connected to the conditioner by liquid desiccant pipes for exchanging liquid desiccant with the conditioner, said regenerator including a plurality of structures arranged in a substantially vertical orientation, each structure having at least one surface across which the liquid desiccant can flow, each structure also including a passage through which a heat transfer fluid can flow, said regenerator causing the liquid desiccant to desorb water in the warm weather operation mode and to absorb water in the cold weather operation mode to or from an air stream flowing through the regenerator;

a reversible heat pump located outside the building coupled to the conditioner and to the regenerator by heat transfer fluid pipes, wherein the heat pump pumps heat from the heat transfer fluid flowing in the conditioner to the heat transfer fluid flowing in the regenerator in the warm weather operation mode, and wherein the heat pump pumps heat from the heat transfer fluid flowing in the regenerator to the heat transfer fluid flowing in the conditioner in the cold weather operation mode;

an apparatus for moving the air stream through the conditioner;

an apparatus for circulating the liquid desiccant through the conditioner and regenerator; and

an apparatus for circulating heat transfer fluid through the conditioner and the reversible heat pump; and

an apparatus for circulating heat transfer fluid through the regenerator and the reversible heat pump.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the reversible heat pump comprises a refrigerant evaporator heat exchanger.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the liquid desiccant pipes comprise a first pipe for transferring liquid desiccant from the conditioner to the regenerator and a second pipe for transferring liquid desiccant from the regenerator to the conditioner, wherein the first and second pipes are in close thermal contact to facilitate heat transfer from the liquid desiccant flowing in one of the first and second pipes to the liquid desiccant flowing in the other of the first and second pipes.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first and second pipes comprise an integrally formed structure.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the integrally formed structure comprises a polymer material.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein at least a wall of the structure between the first and second pipes comprises a thermally conductive polymer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the conditioner is mounted on a wall inside the building.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the conditioner has a generally flat configuration adapted to be hidden behind a computer display, television, or painting.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more additional conditioners in the building, each coupled to the regenerator and the heat pump.

10. A split liquid desiccant air conditioning system for cooling and dehumidifying an air stream flowing into a space in a building, the split liquid desiccant air conditioning system comprising:

a conditioner located inside the building, said conditioner including a plurality of first structures arranged in a substantially vertical orientation, each structure having at least one surface across which a liquid desiccant can flow, each structure also including a passage through which a heat transfer fluid can flow, wherein the air stream flows between the structures such that the liquid desiccant dehumidifies and cools the air stream, the conditioner further comprising a sheet of material positioned proximate to the at least one surface of each structure between the liquid desiccant and the air stream, said sheet of material permitting transfer of water vapor between the liquid desiccant and the air stream;

a regenerator located outside the building connected to the conditioner by liquid desiccant pipes for exchanging liquid desiccant with the conditioner, said regenerator including a plurality of second structures arranged in a substantially vertical orientation, each structure having at least one surface across which the liquid desiccant can flow, each structure also including a passage through which a heat transfer fluid can flow, said regenerator causing the liquid desiccant to desorb water to an air stream flowing through the regenerator;

an indirect evaporative cooling unit coupled to the conditioner for receiving the heat transfer fluid that has flowed through the first structures and a portion of the air stream that has been dehumidified and cooled by the conditioner, said indirect evaporative cooling unit including a plurality of third structures arranged in a substantially vertical orientation, each structure having at least one surface across which water is flowed, each structure also including a passage through which the heat transfer fluid from the conditioner is flowed, wherein the portion of the air stream received from the conditioner flows between the structures such that the water is evaporated by the air stream, resulting in cooling of the heat transfer fluid which is returned to the conditioner, and wherein the air stream treated by the indirect evaporative cooling unit is exhausted to the atmosphere;

an apparatus for moving the air stream through the conditioner and the indirect evaporative cooling unit;

an apparatus for circulating the liquid desiccant through the conditioner and regenerator; and

an apparatus for circulating heat transfer fluid through the conditioner and the indirect evaporative cooling unit; and

a heat source for heating the heat transfer fluid in the regenerator.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the liquid desiccant pipes comprise a first pipe for transferring liquid desiccant from the conditioner to the regenerator and a second pipe for transferring liquid desiccant from the regenerator to the conditioner, wherein the first and second pipes are in close contact to facilitate heat transfer from the liquid desiccant flowing in one of the first and second pipes to the liquid desiccant flowing in the other of the first and second pipes.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second pipes comprise an integrally formed structure.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the integrally formed structure comprises a polymer material.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein at least a wall of the structure between the first and second pipes comprises a thermally conductive polymer.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the conditioner is mounted on a wall inside the building.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the conditioner has a generally flat configuration adapted to be hidden behind a computer display, television, or painting.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the indirect evaporative cooling unit is located inside the building.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the indirect evaporative cooling unit is located outside the building.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the heat source for heating the heat transfer fluid in the regenerator comprises a gas water heater, a solar module, a solar thermal/photovoltaic module, or a steam loop.

20. A split liquid desiccant air conditioning system for heating and humidifying an air stream flowing into a space in a building, the split liquid desiccant air conditioning system comprising:

a conditioner located inside the building, said conditioner including a plurality of first structures arranged in a substantially vertical orientation, each structure having at least one surface across which a liquid desiccant can flow, each structure also including a passage through which a heat transfer fluid can flow, wherein the air stream flows between the structures such that the liquid desiccant humidifies and heats the air stream, the conditioner further comprising a sheet of material positioned proximate to the at least one surface of each structure between the liquid desiccant and the air stream, said sheet of material permitting transfer of water vapor between the liquid desiccant and the air stream;

a regenerator located outside the building connected to the conditioner by liquid desiccant pipes for exchanging liquid desiccant with the conditioner, said regenerator including a plurality of second structures arranged in a substantially vertical orientation, each structure having at least one surface across which the liquid desiccant can flow, each structure also including a passage through which a heat transfer fluid can flow, said regenerator causing the liquid desiccant to absorb water from an air stream flowing through the regenerator;

an indirect evaporative cooling unit coupled to the conditioner for receiving the heat transfer fluid that has flowed through the first structures and a portion of the air stream that has been humidified and heated by the conditioner, said indirect evaporative cooling unit including a plurality of third structures arranged in a substantially vertical orientation, each structure having at least one surface across which water is flowed, each structure also including a passage through which the heat transfer fluid from the conditioner is flowed, wherein the portion of the air stream received from the conditioner flows between the structures such that the water vapor is evaporated from the water, resulting in humidification of the air stream, and wherein the air stream treated by the indirect evaporative cooling unit is exhausted inside the building;

an apparatus for moving the air stream through the conditioner and the indirect evaporative cooling unit;

an apparatus for circulating the liquid desiccant through the conditioner and regenerator; and

an apparatus for circulating heat transfer fluid through the conditioner and the indirect evaporative cooling unit; and

a heat source for heating the heat transfer fluid in the conditioner and the indirect evaporative cooling unit.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the liquid desiccant pipes comprise a first pipe for transferring liquid desiccant from the conditioner to the regenerator and a second pipe for transferring liquid desiccant from the regenerator to the conditioner, wherein the first and second pipes are in close contact to facilitate heat transfer from the liquid desiccant flowing in one of the first and second pipes to the liquid desiccant flowing in the other of the first and second pipes.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first and second pipes comprise an integrally formed structure.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the integrally formed structure comprises a polymer material.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein at least a wall of the structure between the first and second pipes comprises a thermally conductive polymer.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the conditioner is mounted on a wall inside the building.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the conditioner has a generally flat configuration adapted to be hidden behind a computer display, television, or painting.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the indirect evaporative cooling unit is located inside the building.

28. The system of claim 20, wherein the indirect evaporative cooling unit is located outside the building.

29. The system of claim 20, wherein the heat source for heating the heat transfer fluid in the conditioner and the indirect evaporative cooling unit comprises a gas water heater, a solar module, a solar thermal/photovoltaic module, or a steam loop.