Improved Design Parameters for a Liquid Desiccant Dehumidifier in Confined Spaces

Abstract

Investigations of a desiccant dehumidifier system have been performed for humidity control application in confined spaces. A previous study revealed that the base dehumidifier system can reduce moisture condensation by 22% over a conventional exhaust ventilation system. The current study aims to develop improved design requirements for a desiccant dehumidifier. The energy consumption of an exhaust ventilation system and an improved dehumidifier system was compared. To investigate the improved desiccant dehumidification system, numerical simulations were conducted and an objective function was established. This paper presents simulated results for an existing desiccant dehumidification system and an improved system, in which improved parameters are used. Use of the improved design parameters can reduce moisture condensation by 26.6% over a base dehumidifier system and shorten the dehumidifier performance period by 14%. Energy consumption with the sole use of an exhaust system is compared with that of the improved dehumidifier system under the same conditions. The results show that energy consumption can be substantially reduced, by 63%, in the improved dehumidifier system with the same amount of moisture condensation on surfaces of the confined space.