Abstract
An experimental study of the performance of a hybrid humidification-dehumidification water desalination and air conditioning system using vapor compression refrigeration cycle is presented and investigated. A test rig is designed and constructed to study the performance under different operating parameters (air flow rate, air inlet temperature, specific humidity and evaporator saturation temperature). The effects of these operating parameters on fresh (desalinated) water production rate, refrigeration capacity, compressor work per kilogram of fresh water, mass transfer coefficient and supply air conditions to conditioned space (air temperature and relative humidity) are investigated and analyzed. The results show the enhancement of the fresh water production rate, the refrigeration capacity and the compressor work per kilogram of fresh water with increasing air specific humidity and air mass flow rate. The supply air temperature and relative humidity increase remarkably with increasing fresh water rate. Experimental correlations for fresh water production rate, refrigeration capacity and compressor work per kilogram of fresh water in terms of all studied parameters are deduced and presented within accepted error. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.