Taiwan is located in a subtropical climate zone with high ambient humidity throughout the year; consequently, dehumidifiers are widely used in both residential and commercial buildings. However, the performance of conventional dehumidifiers is often limited under low-temperature conditions, leading to reduced efficiency and, in some cases, an increased risk of frost formation. In addition, in recent years, heightened public awareness of indoor air quality has emerged due to the impacts of seasonal influenza and the COVID-19 pandemic. To address these challenges, this study proposes a novel vapor compression cycle household dehumidifier integrated with an ionic liquid solution, which combines absorption and condensation dehumidification mechanisms to enhance overall system performance. This hybrid approach effectively mitigates the performance degradation commonly observed in conventional dehumidifiers under fluctuating ambient conditions. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system can operate stably under four typical climatic conditions representative of Taiwan, confirming its technical feasibility. Compared to a conventional dehumidifier, the proposed system achieves an improvement in the energy factor of approximately 17-48%. The system exhibits high operational flexibility and is capable of effectively regulating indoor humidity across a wide range of environmental conditions. Furthermore, the ionic liquid employed in the system exhibits antibacterial and air purification properties, providing dual benefits of humidity control and indoor air quality enhancement. These characteristics make the proposed system particularly suitable for offices, hospitals, clinics, and classrooms, providing tangible benefits in the post-pandemic era and during periods of influenza outbreaks.
Liang et al. (Tue,) studied this question.