Absorption heat pump and desiccant assisted air conditioning apparatus

DETAILED DESCRIPTION According to the first embodiment of the invention, a desiccant assisted air conditioning apparatus comprises: a process air passage for flowing process air for dehumidification through a desiccant and for delivery to a conditioning space; and a regeneration air passage for flowing regeneration air for removing moisture from the desiccant; and an absorption heat pump means for providing cooling means for process air and heating means for the regeneration air; the absorption heat pump means comprising: a first circulation unit having a fist evaporator, a first absorber, a first generator and a first condenser for providing an absorption refrigeration cycle operating at a first operating pressure; a second circulation unit having a second evaporator, a second absorber, a second generator and a second condenser for providing an absorption refrigeration cycle operating at a second operating pressure lower than the first operating pressure; and a heat exchanger between the first evaporator in the first circulation unit and the second absorber in the second circulation unit between the first evaporator in the first circulation unit and the second absorber in the second circulation unit for performing a heat transfer between the first evaporator and the second absorber; wherein the heat of condensation from the first circulation unit and from the second circulation unit together with the heat of absorption from the first circulation unit are utilized as heating means for regenerating the desiccant, and the heat of evaporation in the second circulation unit is utilized as cooling means for cooling the process air prior to delivery to the conditioning space.
According to the first aspect of the air conditioning apparatus presented above, the heat pump device (including refrigeration devices) is combined with a desiccant assisted air conditioning apparatus to achieve a high level of energy conservation and system performance.
A sum of heat corresponding to the external heat input into the system plus the heat of evaporation into the second circulation unit is recovered by utilizing the heat of condensation generated in the first and second circulation units and the heat of absorption generated in the second circulation unit