Combined heat and mass transfer analysis during the dehumidification process within a plate type heat exchanger

Abstract

Liquid desiccant systems have been paid attention because of its advantages in energy saving and an environmental friendliness. The use of liquid desiccant systems offers design and performance advantages over the solid desiccant systems, especially when solar energy is used for regeneration. The objective of this paper is to analyze the simultaneous heat and mass transfer characteristics of lithium chloride aqueous solution for the plate type dehumidification system. The effects of process air and solution inlet conditions on the dehumidification performance are studied in this study. It is found that the heat transfer coefficient of the air side gives much more significant effect on the absorption rate and dehumidification effectiveness than those of the solution and the coolant sides while the mass transfer coefficient of the solution side gives more significant effect than that of the air side. It is also found that the solution concentration is the most important factor for absorption performance improvement during the dehumidification process.