New Air Conditioner Process cuts energy use 50-90%

necro81 writes: The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory has announced that it has developed a new method for air conditioning that reduces energy use by 50-90%. The DEVap system cools air using evaporative cooling, which is not new, but combines the process with a liquid dessicant for pulling the water vapor out of the cooled air stream. The liquid dessicant, a very strong aqueous solution of lithium chloride or sodium chloride, is separated from the air stream by a permeable hydrophobic membrane. Heat is later used to evaporate water vapor back out — heat that can come from a variety of sources such as solar or natural gas. The dessicants are, compared to typical refrigerants like HCFCs, relatively safe for the environment.

New A/C Process: Good idea, but why the delay?

[Ellie K]

It's not just another New Mexico straw pallet swamp cooler. Chemically stored cooling potential and Coef of Performance > 1.20 is achieved with dessicants like salt and hydrophobic membranes Thermal A/C from nrel dot gov [nrel.gov], or so they say. I do wonder why it was in beta back in 2004, per date on the photo showing test units, and we haven't heard more by now...?

Re:

[AHuxley]

If AC units are selling and been installed at a set rate over the USA in the past, why rock the boat with low cost, destabilising public tech?
If and when the US needs this and it can be rolled out in a profitable way, the US consumer will get to use it.
Until then everybody is happy with the products, networks and deals they have.