Abstract
This study reports on the investigation of the performance of single and two-stage liquid and solid desiccant dehumidification systems and two-stage combined liquid and solid desiccant dehumidification systems with reference to humid climates. The research focus is on a dehumidification system capacity of 25 kW designed for room air conditioning application using the thermal models reported in the literature. RD-type silica gel and LiCl are used as solid and liquid desiccant materials, respectively. In this study, the application of proposed system for deep drying application is also explored. Condensation rate and moisture removal efficiency are chosen as performance parameters for room air conditioning application, whereas air outlet temperature is chosen as performance parameter for deep drying application. Further, for a given range of operating parameters, influences of air inlet humidity ratio, flow rate, and inlet temperature on performance parameters of the systems are investigated. In humid climatic conditions, it has been observed that a two-stage liquid desiccant dehumidification system is more effective for room air conditioning application, and two-stage solid desiccant dehumidification system is more suitable for deep drying application in the temperature range of 50 to 70 °C, while single-stage solid desiccant and two-stage combined liquid and solid desiccant dehumidification systems are more effective for low temperature, i.e., 30 to 50 °C deep drying application.
Highlights
Humans feel discomfort in humid climates due to excessive humidity in the ambient air
Condensation rate and moisture removal efficiency are chosen as performance parameters for room air conditioning application, whereas the outlet air temperature is considered as a performance parameter for deep drying application
Condensation rate and moisture removal efficiency are chosen as the performance parameters for room air conditioning application, and air outlet temperature is chosen as a performance parameter for deep drying application
Summary
Humans feel discomfort in humid climates due to excessive humidity (i.e., moisture content) in the ambient air. High humidity is responsible for many other unwanted situations, e.g., increase in air borne pollutants, damage of sophisticated instruments, and deterioration of fruits and vegetables. Dehumidification of ambient air is required for various applications. For dehumidifying the ambient air, in recent years, the desiccant dehumidification system became very popular due to reduction in energy consumption and effective utilization of low-grade renewable energy sources [1]. In case of liquid desiccant dehumidification systems, ambient air and liquid desiccant solution pass through a packed column in a counterflow direction
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