Performance analysis of heating and humidification system with solar assisted CaCl2 desiccant wheel rotor

Abstract

ABSTRACT In current study, experimental setup is integrated with calcium chloride (CaCl2)-based rotating desiccant material and solar heating arrangement to make system eco-friendly. The experimental finding of current study is also validated with mathematical model. Proposed experimental scheme enhances the temperature & absolute humidity from 286–294 K & 6–8 g H2O/kg air to 298–303 K & 10–13 g H2O/kg air, respectively. The proposed mathematical model is used to determine the relationship of final temperature and absolute humidity of air with different depending operating parameter such as atmospheric air inlet velocity, humidity, solar heating, and temperature. The modeled relation predicts temperature deviation in the range of 0.5–1.5%, 0.8–4.2%, and 1–6.3% with experimental output of process, heating, and regeneration section, respectively, for variable air flow rate. Proposed CaCl2-based desiccant wheel display wheel effectiveness in the range of 0.67–0.95 and 0.51–0.90 for regeneration and process section, respectively, which is very effective to maintain the temperature and humidity in control area. Based on current finding and proposed mathematical model, CaCl2-based desiccant wheel can be effective to maintain the lower temperature and humidity in the winter season, especially in sensible area such as hospital, school, and many storing buildings.