Experimental analysis of an innovative internally cooled dehumidifier

Abstract

To address the absence of balance in existing heat and mass transfer structures and enhance their adaptability in high-temperature and humid environments, a new internally cooled dehumidifier has been developed. This innovative dehumidifier incorporates corrugated fins to increase disturbance and contact area, along with a multichannel flat tube to improve cooling efficiency and compatibility. Experimental research was conducted to investigate mass transfer characteristics under different air, solution, and cooling water conditions in a high-temperature and humidy climate, and the Sh number correlation was derived. The findings indicated that compared to previous designs, the new dehumidifier's performance is less influenced by air temperature due to the corrugated fins' disturbance and cooling efficiency of the multi-channel flat tube. Additionally, its dehumidification capacity is positively correlated with air humidity, making it well-suited for high-temperature, high-humidity regions; The presence of corrugated fins enhances the disturbance on the solution surface, leading to a non-linear improvement in dehumidification performance when increasing solution flow; Lowering solution and water temperatures is more effective in improving dehumidification performance than increasing the flow rate, resulting in maximum increases of 60 % and 18.3 %, respectively, in mass transfer coefficients. Therefore, temperature adjustments are recommended for operational optimization; The Sh number correlation demonstrates high accuracy, within ±25 %, ensuring reliability. This study provides technical support and a foundational dataset for the dehumidifier's application in buildings located in high-temperature and high-humidity areas.