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 The
OA Series liquid-desiccant air conditioners are designed to handle the exceptionally high
latent loads associated with drying outdoor
ventilation air in humid climates. Two models are now available: the OA3000 and the OA6000. Both models use AILR's patented
low-flow liquid-desiccant technology. Outdoor air is cooled and dried in
the conditioner--a water-cooled
plastic-plate heat exchanger. Cooling water for the conditioner can be
provided by a cooling tower, ground loop, lake, well or chilled water circuit.
The water that the desiccant absorbs in the conditioner is rejected back
outdoors in the regenerator. This
component is again a plastic-plate heat exchanger, but one that can operate with
160 F to 220 F hot fluid flowing within the plates. The OA Series is
characterized by:
►Very low pressure drops: at a nominal 400 fpm face
velocity, the pressure drop across the 12" deep conditioner is 0.3 inches w.c.
►High regeneration COPs: When supplied with 200 F hot
water, a lithium chloride solution can be regenerated from 39% to 43% at a COP
of 0.80 or higher; the 1½-effect
regenerator now being developed will have a gas-based COP of 1.0 to 1.1.
OA-6000 with Optional Cooling Tower and
Auxiliary Hot-Water Boiler
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 ►Compact size: Without the optional hot-water boiler and
cooling tower, the dimensions of the OA-6000 are 77" x 80" x 68", and the
OA-3000, 76" x 61" x 65" (H x W x L).
►Lower heat rejection rates, smaller cooling tower: The
OA Series air conditioners are "open" systems that discharge water vapor
directly outdoors. They do not have the water-cooled condenser found on
absorption and adsorption chillers.
A
conference paper(490 KB) presented at the 2006 ASES meeting describes
in more detail both the laboratory testing and field operation of the technology
used in the OA Series air conditioners. Engineering specifications
for the OA Series appear in brochures for the
general product line (260 KB) and
solar applications (204 KB). These
brochures are relatively early drafts. Please contact Dr. Andrew
Lowenstein at ail@ailr.com if you should have
any questions or need additional information on the OA Series.
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