Hybrid air conditioning system integration

Claim 2

A hybrid air conditioning system subjected to a combined and proportionally variable sensible heat load and latent heat load, and comprising: a. An absorption refrigeration subsystem handling the system sensible heat load and having an absorption refrigeration cycle loop with cooperating desorber means, condenser means, evaporator means, absorber means, and fluid circulating means flowing refrigerant to said evaporator means for evaporation and concentrated refrigeration solution to said absorber means for combining with the evaporated refrigerant to produce dilute refrigeration solution; b. A liquid desiccant dehumidification subsystem handling the system latent heat load and having cooperating desiccant dehumidifier means, desiccant regenerator means, and fluid circulating means flowing desiccant solution sequentially through said desiccant dehumidifier means and said desiccant regenerator means; and c. Heat transfer means cooperably connected to said refrigeration subsystem absorber means and to said dehumidification subsystem fluid circulating means, said heat transfer means transferring available heat from said refrigeration subsystem absorber means to circulated desiccant solution to thereby increase the temperature of said desiccant solution.

Claim 3

The system defined by claim 1 wherein said refrigeration subsystem absorption refrigeration cycle loop is a multiple-effect absorption refrigeration cycle loop.

Claim 4

The system defined by claim 2 wherein said refrigeration subsystem multi-effect absorption refrigeration cycle loop is a double-effect absorption refrigeration cycle loop with a first desorption effect at a high cycle pressure and a second desorption effect at a cycle pressure substantially lower than said high cycle pressure and receiving heat from refrigerant vapor at said high cycle pressure.

Claim 5

The system defined by claim 1 wherein said refrigeration subsystem absorption refrigeration cycle loop condenser means cooperates in heat transfer relation to said dehumidification subsystem fluid circulating means to also heat said dehumidification subsystem desiccant fluid.

Claim 6

The system defined by claim 4 wherein said refrigeration subsystem absorption refrigeration cycle loop is a multiple-effect absorption refrigeration cycle loop.

Claim 7

The system defined by claim 2 wherein said refrigeration subsystem absorption refrigeration cycle loop is a double-effect absorption refrigeration cycle loop with a first desorption effect at a high cycle pressure and a second desorption effect at a cycle pressure substantially lower than said high cycle pressure and receiving heat from refrigerant vapor at said high cycle pressure.

Claim 8

A hybrid air conditioning system subjected to a combined and proportionally variable sensible heat load and latent heat load, and comprising: a. An absorption refrigeration subsystem handling the system sensible heat load and having an absorption refrigeration cycle loop with cooperating desorber means, condenser means, evaporator means, absorber means, and fluid circulating means flowing refrigerant to said evaporator means for evaporation and concentrated refrigeration solution to said absorber means for combining with the evaporated refrigerant to produce dilute refrigeration solution; b. A liquid desiccant dehumidification subsystem handling the system latent heat load and having cooperating desiccant dehumidifier means, desiccant regenerator means, and fluid circulating means flowing desiccant solution sequentially through said desiccant dehumidifier means and said desiccant regenerator means; c. Heat transfer means cooperably connected to said refrigeration subsystem absorber means and to said dehumidification subsystem fluid circulating means; d) A cooling tower subsystem having a recirculated coolant and rejecting heat from said recirculated coolant to the system ambient atmosphere; and e) An additional heat exchanger means cooperably connected to said cooling tower subsystem and to said dehumidification subsystem fluid circulating means, said additional heat exchanger means variably transferring heat from said dehumidification subsystem desiccant solution to said cooling tower subsystem recirculated coolant in response to system variations correlated to desiccant solution temperatures above a threshold level and indicative of a relatively low system latent heat proportionate load.

Claim 9

A hybrid air conditioning system subjected to a combined and proportionally variable sensible heat load and latent heat load, and comprising: a. An absorption refrigeration subsystem handling the system sensible heat load and having an absorption refrigeration cycle loop with cooperating desorber means, condenser means, evaporator means, absorber means, and fluid circulating means flowing refrigerant to said evaporator means for evaporation and concentrated refrigeration solution to said absorber means for combining with the evaporated refrigerant to produce dilute refrigeration solution; b. A liquid desiccant dehumidification subsystem handling the system latent heat load and having cooperating desiccant dehumidifier means, desiccant regenerator means, and fluid circulating means flowing desiccant solution sequentially through said desiccant dehumidifier means and said desiccant regenerator means; c. Heat transfer means cooperably connected to said refrigeration subsystem absorber means and to said dehumidification subsystem fluid circulating means; d) A cooling tower subsystem having a recirculated coolant and rejecting heat from said recirculated coolant to the system ambient atmosphere; and e) An additional heat exchanger means cooperably connected to said cooling tower subsystem and to said dehumidification subsystem fluid circulating means, said additional heat exchanger means variably transferring heat from said dehumidification subsystem desiccant solution to said cooling tower subsystem recirculated coolant in response to system variations correlated to desiccant solution temperatures above a threshold level and indicative of a relatively low system latent heat proportionate load.

Claim 10

The system defined by claim 7 wherein said refrigeration subsystem absorption refrigeration cycle loop is a multiple-effect absorption refrigeration cycle loop.

Claim 11

The system defined in claim 8 wherein said refrigeration subsystem multi-effect absorption refrigeration cycle loop is a double-effect loop with a first absorption effect at high cycle pressure, with a second absorption effect at a cycle pressure substantially lower than said high cycle pressure and receiving heat from condensing refrigerant vapor at said high cycle pressure, and with said absorption refrigeration cycle loop condenser means receiving heat from condensing refrigerant vapor at said lower cycle pressure.

Claim 14

The method defined in claim 10 wherein said variably transferred available heat is refrigeration subsystem absorption refrigeration cycle loop condensation heat transferred to said dehumidification subsystem desiccant solution.

Claim 15

The method defined by claim 10 wherein said variably transferred available heat is refrigeration subsystem absorption refrigeration cycle loop absorption heat transferred to said dehumidification subsystem desiccant solution.

Claim 16

The method defined by claim 10 wherein said variably transferred available heat is dehumidification subsystem desiccant solution heat transferred to said subsystem absorption refrigeration cycle loop as increased production of refrigerant in said refrigeration subsystem absorption refrigeration cycle loop.

Claim 19

The method defined by claim 14 wherein said available heat is absorption heat and condensation heat causing an increase in temperature in the desiccant solution in said dehumidification subsystem desiccant solution flow loop.