Experimental investigation on novel heat pump system for combined drying and air conditioning for arid climate

In an open-loop heat pump dryer, moisture removal in the evaporator is not profitable for an arid climate and hence evaporator may be used for comfort cooling, which leads to an efficient integrated system yielding both heat pump drying and air conditioning with a single energy source. Hence, the present experimental analysis is focused on the design, fabrication, and experimental investigation of an integrated heat pump system for hot and dry atmospheric conditions using future refrigerant R1234yf in the heat pump. The effects of the drying time, air inlet velocity, and inlet temperature to the evaporator and condenser on the energy, exergy, and economic performance of the air conditioning and the drying are investigated. The coefficient of performance for the combined operation is found to be much higher than that for the individual operation (heat pump drying or air conditioning), with an average value of 7.456 for input temperature of 26–45 °C. The average specific moisture extraction rate (SMER) is found up to 2.8 kg/kWh. The total annual profit gain by using the combined system instead of the separate systems is estimated as $309. The cooling air temperature and humidity are in the comfort zone, which confirms the suitability of the system for studied conditions.