Performance Improvement of Mass Transfer Through Membrane Using Ultrasound for HVAC Application

Abstract

Abstract Liquid desiccant dehumidification is one of the energy-efficient alternatives to conventional air conditioning systems for humidity control. Membrane dehumidifier is preferred to avoid the desiccant carryover, which occurs in a conventional packed bed dehumidifier. However, its mass transfer performance is lesser than that of the packed bed dehumidifier. This is due to additional mass transfer resistance of the membrane between the air and desiccant. It is found that the resistance by the boundary layer formed at the membrane-air interface accounts for a significant portion of the overall mass transfer resistance. Breaking of such boundary layer using ultrasound is an attractive technique to reduce the resistance. The present study experimentally investigates the influence of ultrasound on the mass transfer performance of a membrane humidifier. Subsequently, with the experimental results of the humidifier, the effect of ultrasound on the performance of the membrane dehumidifier is numerically studied. The performances of humidifier and dehumidifier are presented in terms of moisture addition or removal rate and latent effectiveness. It is found that the vibration due to ultrasound enhances the performance of the membrane dehumidifier by 1.5 times.