Solar-driven membrane-based open-cycle adsorption air conditioner

An air conditioner comprising,

• an intake mechanism configured to draw into the air conditioner a first amount of air and an amount of moisture from an exterior of the air conditioner;
• a module in fluid communication with the intake mechanism, the module comprising:
• a plurality of metal organic frameworks, the metal organic frameworks configured to adsorb the amount of moisture from the first amount of air;
• and
• an indirect evaporative cooler configured to cool the first amount of air, the indirect evaporative cooler comprising a barrier membrane having a first side and a second side, the first side positioned to contact the first amount of air prior to being cooled, and the second side configured to contact a cooling stream formed from a combination of a third amount of air from outside of the air conditioner and a portion of the first amount of air that is siphoned from the first amount of air after the first amount of air is cooled, and wherein the cooling stream is fed back into the indirect evaporative cooler;
• and
• a solar heater configured to heat a second amount of air,
• wherein the second amount of air is configured to regenerate the metal organic frameworks.

A method of air conditioning comprising:

• drawing a first amount of air into an interior of an air conditioner from an exterior of the air conditioner, the first amount of air including an amount of moisture;
• adsorbing the amount of moisture into a plurality of unsaturated metal organic frameworks to form a plurality of partially saturated metal organic frameworks;
• cooling the first amount of air with an indirect evaporative cooler;
• heating a second amount of air with a solar heater to form an amount of hot air, wherein the hot air has a temperature greater than a temperature of the second amount of air;
• and
• regenerating the partially saturated metal organic frameworks to form the unsaturated metal organic frameworks by removing the amount of moisture by contacting the amount of hot air with the partially saturated metal organic frameworks,
• wherein the indirect evaporative cooler comprises a barrier membrane having a first side and a second side, the first side positioned to contact the first amount of air prior to being cooled, and the second side configured to contact a cooling stream formed from a combination of a third amount of air from outside of the air conditioner and a portion of the first amount of air that is siphoned from the first amount of air after the first amount of air is cooled, and wherein the cooling stream is fed back into the indirect evaporative cooler.