SBIR Phase I: High-Efficiency Liquid Desiccant Regenerator for Desiccant Enhanced Evaporative Air Conditioning

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目开发了空调技术，推出了一种高效的液体干燥剂再生器，有望释放液体干燥剂空调（LDAC）的全部潜力。该解决方案承诺为家庭和工业节省大量能源。对于家庭来说，这项技术可以降低能源成本，切实减轻经济负担，提高生活质量。在工业规模上，它将重塑各个部门的电力需求，为更具可持续性和成本效益的运营铺平道路。该项目的重点是克服历史上阻碍LDAC广泛采用的效率障碍，相对于今天的蒸汽压缩空调。采用合适的膜技术对液体干燥剂进行再生，有望大幅提高LDAC的性能系数。该计划是为LDAC制定设计规范，将当今传统空调系统的尺寸和成本特征与预期的能源效率飞跃相结合。关键的挑战在于设计一种系统，使膜在极高盐浓度下的行为稳定且可预测。实验开发的重点是评估各种膜在不同流速和盐浓度下的性能。用文献中建立的数学模型对实验数据进行建模。利用实验膜模型对液体干燥剂再生过程进行了计算机模拟，验证了该再生器的可行性，并对其效能和价值进行了预测。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project develops air conditioning technology, unveiling a high-efficiency, liquid desiccant regenerator that promises to unlock the full potential of liquid desiccant air conditioning (LDAC). The solution promises substantial energy savings for families and industries alike. For families, the technology translates into reduced energy costs, offering tangible financial relief and enhancing their quality of life. On an industrial scale, it stands to reshape the power requirements of various sectors, paving the way for more sustainable and cost-effective operations. The project is focused on overcoming the efficiency barriers that have historically impeded LDAC's widespread adoption relative to today’s vapor-compression air conditioners. A suitable membrane technology is adopted for the regeneration of the liquid desiccant as it promises to substantially improve the coefficient of performance for the LDAC. The plan is to develop design specifications for an LDAC that combines the size and cost characteristics of today’s conventional air conditioning systems with the anticipated leap in energy efficiency. The key challenge is in designing a system where membrane behavior at extremely high salt concentrations is robust and predictable. The experimental development is focused on the assessment of performance of various membranes under various flow rates and salt concentrations. The resulting experimental data are modeled with established mathematical models from literature. Computer simulations of the liquid desiccant regeneration process are developed using the experimental membrane models to demonstrate the regenerator's feasibility and predict its efficacy and value.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.