Enhancing Energy-Efficient Thermal Control in Buildings with a Hybrid M-Cycle/Vapor Compression Refrigeration System

Air conditioning systems in buildings account for a substantial portion of total energy consumption, primarily relying on mechanical vapor compression systems. Recently, evaporative cooling has garnered interest in the scientific community due to advancements in the Maisotsenko cycle (M-cycle), which offers improved performance compared to conventional indirect evaporative cooling for thermal control in various environments. However, the M-cycle alone may not be suitable for all climatic conditions, particularly in high relative humidity environments. To address this limitation, this study proposes a hybrid VCR/M-cycle cooling system designed to achieve thermal comfort across different climatic conditions while minimizing energy consumption. The hybrid system integrates an M-cycle heat and mass exchanger with a VCR. This research investigates the performance of two potential hybrid configurations of these cooling systems and compares them to the performance of each system used individually. The results indicate that implementing a hybrid VCR/M-cycle system can effectively dissipate heat gains while significantly reducing electrical consumption.