Application of the cross-flow Maisotsenko cycle heat and mass exchanger to the moderate climate in different configurations in air-conditioning systems

The paper presents a comparative study of a Maisotsenko Cycle (M-Cycle) heat and mass exchanger operating in different air-conditioning system arrangements. The performance of the M-Cycle heat and mass exchanger was analyzed numerically on the base of a modified epsilon-NTU model. The purpose of the study is to analyze new arrangement of the cross-flow M-Cycle air cooler, where it is used as a heat recovery device in the air conditioning system in the moderate climate, where heat recovery is widely used. Three arrangements of the air-conditioning system with the M-cycle heat and mass exchanger and a vapor pressure cooler were selected for analysis. The first one is a traditional solution, where ambient air is used as a primary and working airflow. The second arrangement is the new configuration of this device, where the ambient air is used as a primary airflow and the air exhausted from the conditioned space is used as a working airflow. In case of the third system, a mixture of the exhaust and ambient air is used as a primary and working airflow and different ambient airflow share in the mixture were taken into consideration. Theoretical analysis is carried out to compare the effectiveness of above mentioned arrangements and establish optimal solution in terms of achieved product airflow temperature and cooling performance of the exchanger. It is shown that application of each arrangement is justified depending on the ambient and exhaust airflow parameters. On the basis of the analysis, a compromise configuration was proposed to maximize the effectiveness of the cooling system in moderate climate. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.