Effect of operating parameters of desiccant wheel on the performance of solar desiccant dehumidifier

Abstract

AbstractTo produce dry air, desiccant wheel is a very common choice now a day. However, it's crucial to utilize the desiccant wheel effectively. Therefore, in the present investigation, a numerical model is developed to identify the best operating conditions for a solar desiccant dehumidifier based on desiccant wheel and it is observed that the dehumidification capacity can be increased by simultaneously increasing the process air velocity and RPH of the desiccant wheel. A higher temperature of hot air for regeneration allows for a higher process‐to‐regeneration sector facial area ratio, which results in higher amount of dry air. After the mathematical investigation, the desiccant wheel is attached with solar air heater for experimental investigation. The solar air heater is based on both ends open evacuated tube collector, which is able to produce hot air at about 150°C at a mass flow rate of 143 kg/h. At this temperature the desiccant wheel shows remarkable dehumidification effectiveness of 0.61 with an average moisture removal of 0.0098 kgwp/kgda. The average thermal effectiveness and DCOP of the solar desiccant dehumidifier are observed to be 0.24 and 0.23, respectively.