This paper examines the merits of coupling adesiccant dehumidification subsystem to a gas-engine-driven vapor compression air conditioner.A system is identified that uses a rotary,silica gel, parallel-plate dehumidifier. Dehumidifierdata and analysis are based on recenttests. The dehumidification subsystem processesthe fresh air portion and handles the latentportion of the load. Adding the desiccant subsystemincreases the gas-based coefficient ofperformance 40% and increases the coolingcapacity 50%. Increased initial manufacturingcosts are estimated at around $500/ton ($142/kW)for volume production. This cost Level isexpected to reduce the total initial cost perton compared to a system without the desiccantsubsystem.
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