Absorption heat pump and desiccant assisted air conditioner

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an absorption heat pump device for use in an air conditioner including a desiccant regeneration arrangement.
The heat pump device provides a heat source to replace a boiler, for example, comprising an external heat source for heating regeneration air taken from an outside environment and a quantity of heat extracted from a low temperature vapor of a fluid medium to produce an intermediate temperature hot water of about 60.
degree.
.
about.
80.
degree.
C.
The heat pump device also provides chilled water of about 15.
degree.
C.
temperature, for use in cooling process air which is required during the process of air conditioning of an air conditioning space.
The judicious use of heat provided by the heat pump device enables to achieve a high level of energy conservation for performing desiccant assisted air conditioning while also providing an air conditioner which operates at high efficiency.
The object has been achieved in an absorption heat pump comprising a first circulation unit having a first evaporator, a first absorber, a first generator and a first condenser for providing a first absorption refrigeration cycle operating at a first operating temperature; a second circulation unit having a second evaporator, a second absorber, a second generator and a second condenser for providing a second absorption refrigeration cycle operating at a second operating temperature lower than the first operating temperature; a first heat exchanger for performing a heat exchange between the first evaporator and the second absorber; a second heat exchanger for performing a heat exchange between the first condenser and the second generator; and a thermal medium transport means for extracting heat of absorption in the first absorber and heat of condensation in the second condenser for external use in a manner that an absorption temperature in the first absorber is higher than condensation temperature in the second condenser.
An aspect of the heat pump device is that the thermal medium transport means comprises a fluid passage means for performing heat exchange therethrough, the fluid passage means communicating with a condenser heat transfer pipe provided within the second condenser and an absorber heat transfer pipe provided within the first absorber