Energy performance analysis of a membrane dehumidification system

In warm and humid climates, a primary source of building energy consumption is dehumidification of conditioned air supplied to the building spaces. The system analyzed utilizes a selective membrane to remove water vapor from ambient air instead of a vapor compression cycle or a desiccant. This work analyzed a membrane dehumidification system with a focus on the system energy performance. A system performance goal was set by the project sponsor for an inlet air condition of 32.2 °C and 90% relative humidity, an outlet condition of 12.8 °C and 50% relative humidity and a total cooling load of 3.52 kW resulting in a target COPlatent for the system of 3.34. Models of the basic system components were used to develop the system, analyze operating parameters and predict performance. The results indicate that the system requires two optimizations to meet the target performance: condenser pressure optimization and the use of multiple membrane segments operating at different pressures. Subsequently, a model was developed to analyze the performance of the final system configuration under a variety of operating conditions and yielded a maximum COPlatent of 4.37 for membrane properties comparable to those of the earliest membrane module tested. This may be compared with a COP of about 3.5 for current refrigeration technology at these conditions. The best small membrane sample produced to date would increase the COPlatent of the membrane system to well above 8, suggesting that the membrane system has high promise. Uncertainty analysis was also performed to assess the simulation results.