An air conditioning and water producing system includes a heat pumping unit and a membrane contactor in thermal communication with the heat pumping unit. The membrane contactor is configured such that a first brine flow is cooled by the heat pumping unit and diluted at the membrane contactor. A distiller is in thermal communication with the heat pumping unit and the membrane contactor such that a second brine flow is heated by the heat pumping unit and conveyed through the distiller. Thermal interaction between the second brine flow and the first brine flow flowing through the distiller extracts water from the second brine flow.

Provided is a dehumidifying device configured such that a dehumidifying material which has absorbed moisture can efficiently release the moisture. The dehumidifying device (1A) carries out dehumidification with use of a polymeric moisture-absorbing material (23) that (i) exhibits hydrophilicity in a temperature range equal to or lower than a temperature sensitive point which is a given temperature and (ii) exhibits hydrophobicity in a temperature range higher than the temperature sensitive point. The dehumidifying device (1A) includes: a substrate (22) to which the polymeric moisture-absorbing material (23) is fixed; a heat generating member (24) which heats, to the temperature range higher than the temperature sensitive point, the polymeric moisture-absorbing material (23) that has absorbed moisture; and a moisture absorbing unit motor (15) which rotates the substrate (22), to which the polymeric moisture-absorbing material (23) that is heated to the temperature range higher than the temperature sensitive point is fixed, so that the moisture, which has been absorbed by the polymeric moisture-absorbing material (23) that is heated to the temperature range higher than the temperature sensitive point, is released as a waterdrop by a centrifugal force.

An ionic liquid desiccant system utilizes an ionic liquid desiccant to draw moisture from a working fluid, such as air that flow into an enclosure, such as a home. The desiccant may be mixed with the working fluid or a separator that allows moisture transport therethrough may be configured between the ionic liquid desiccant and the working fluid. The ionic liquid desiccant system may be part of an air conditioning system and may remove the moisture from air that is cooled by flowing over an evaporator or heat exchanger coupled with the evaporator. The ionic liquid desiccant may be pumped from a desiccant chamber to a regenerator chamber to remove absorbed moisture. A dual-purpose chamber may act as a desiccant chamber and as a regenerator chamber. A refrigeration system may have an electrochemical compressor and may utilize metal hydride heat exchangers.

The humidity control system includes: a moisture absorption unit; an atomizing and regenerating unit; and a circulation mechanism that causes a liquid hygroscopic material to circulate between the moisture absorption unit and the atomizing and regenerating unit, in which the atomizing and regenerating unit includes at least one storage tank that stores the liquid hygroscopic material, and an ultrasonic wave generating unit that is provided at the storage tank and emits ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic wave generating unit forms a liquid column on a liquid surface of a first region, and a flow of the liquid hygroscopic material transported from the moisture absorption unit to the first region in the atomizing and regenerating unit is set in the circulation mechanism to be small relative to a flow of the liquid hygroscopic material supplied from the moisture absorption unit.

A liquid panel assembly configured to be used with an energy exchanger may include a support frame having one or more fluid circuits and at least one membrane secured to the support frame. Each of the fluid circuits may include an inlet channel connected to an outlet channel through one or more flow passages. A liquid is configured to flow through the fluid circuits and contact interior surfaces of the membrane(s). The fluid circuits are configured to at least partially offset liquid hydrostatic pressure with friction loss of the liquid flowing within the fluid circuits to minimize, eliminate, or otherwise reduce pressure within the liquid panel assembly.

A device for cooling and dehumidifying a first stream of air includes a first heat exchanger that cools the first stream of air from a first temperature to a lower second temperature, an absorber, a regenerator and one or more pumps and conduits. The device operates under conditions where liquid desiccant removes moisture from the first stream of air in the absorber and the second temperature of the first stream of air that leaves the first heat exchanger is lower than the temperature of the liquid desiccant supplied to the absorber.

A system and method for conditioning air is provided that optimizes the use of sustainable and locally sourced materials with agrarian, residential, and industrial applications. The system can be formed with a porous siliceous, or siliceous and aluminous material that is sufficiently porous, to allow conditioning fluid to flow there through. The material can also be formed into a structure that includes one or more passageways configured to allow air to be conditioned to also pass there through. The structure can be configured to cause the conditioning fluid passing through the porous portions of the structure to intersect and mix with air passing there through. The structure may include a plurality of passageways and intersections and may include a plurality of air inlets and outlets for air passage. The system may additionally include a means for storing, collecting, and driving conditioning fluid through the system and a means for collecting solar radiation to drive airflow and regenerate conditioning fluid.

A heat dissipation system apparatus and method of operation using hygroscopic working fluid for use in a wide variety of environments for absorbed water in the hygroscopic working fluid to be released to minimize water consumption in the heat dissipation system apparatus for effective cooling in environments having little available water for use in cooling systems. The system comprises a low-volatility, hygroscopic working fluid to reject thermal energy directly to ambient air. The low-volatility and hygroscopic nature of the working fluid prevents complete evaporation of the fluid and a net consumption of water for cooling, and direct-contact heat exchange allows for the creation of large interfacial surface areas for effective heat transfer. Specific methods of operation prevent the crystallization of the desiccant from the hygrosopic working fluid under various environmental conditions.

Certain Embodiments provide an energy exchange system that includes a supply air flow path, an exhaust air flow path, an energy recovery device disposed within the supply and exhaust air flow paths, and a supply conditioning unit disposed within the supply air flow path. The supply conditioning unit may be downstream from the energy recovery device. Certain embodiments provide a method of conditioning air including introducing outside air as supply air into a supply air flow path, pre-conditioning the supply air with an energy recovery device, and fully-conditioning the supply air with a supply conditioning unit that is downstream from the energy recovery device.

A process and an apparatus for dehumidifying a moist gas mixture are provided. The apparatus for dehumidifying a moist gas mixture can be used and in the process. The absorption medium used in the process and the apparatus is also provided.