Energy performance analysis on segmented liquid desiccant air-conditioning system for bus spray-paint booths

A paint booth is the dominant energy consumer in a manufacturing plant. Large amount of conditioned air with accurate temperature and humidity is required in the spray-paint booth to guarantee constant product quality, which implies huge energy consumption for air-conditioning. However, there has been limited research on energy-saving design for air-conditioning systems applied in the spray-paint booth. In this study, a novel segmented liquid desiccant air-conditioning system is proposed for energy conservation in the spray-paint booths of a bus manufacturing plant. A mathematical model is built to simulate the performance of the proposed system during the cooling season. The advantages of the proposed system can be summarized in terms of the following two aspects: first, the segmented and cascaded configuration of the proposed system helps to reduce the cooling load from 2844.4 to 1078.0 kW under basic conditions when compared with the separated configuration; second, the adoption of the liquid desiccant dehumidifier helps to avoid reheating, and a reheating capacity of 630.8 kW in the current operating system could be saved by operating the proposed system under basic conditions. When operating the proposed system, a yearly primary energy saving rate of 40.7% can be achieved, while a yearly running cost saving rate of 35.6% can be achieved in this plant as compared to the current operating system. This study would provide valuable reference for energy-efficient airconditioning system design for applications in spray-paint booths. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The use of a novel segmented liquid desiccant air-conditioning system in paint booths can significantly reduce energy consumption and increase energy efficiency. This study provides valuable insights for energy-efficient air-conditioning system design in spray-paint booths.