Energy Performance of a Liquid Desiccant and Evaporative Cooling-Assisted 100% Outdoor Air System in Commercial Ships

Abstract

The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the energy performance of a liquid desiccant and indirect/direct evaporative cooling-assisted 100% outdoor air system (LD-IDECOAS) in a commercial passenger ship. The LD-IDECOAS consists of a liquid desiccant system, and indirect and direct evaporative cooler (IEC and DEC) for dehumidification, and sensible and adiabatic cooling of process air. This system was applied to cooling source from seawater and heating source was considered engine waste heat recovery system. The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) regression model from the existing literature was adapted as the waste heat recovery (WHR) system to evaluate waste heat thermal efficiency. For estimating the energy performance of the LD-IDECOAS, annual energy simulation is conducted for two cabins. The area of each cabin is 16.5m2. The required thermal load of passenger cabins is estimated by according to ISO-7547 considering the typical operation condition. Consequent operating energy consumption of LD-IDECOAS is determined by using a commercial equation solver program. The energy performance of the proposed system is compared with the conventional commercial passenger ship air conditioning system, which is using absorption chillers, for estimating the energy saving potential of the proposed system.