The experimental study of dehumidification and regeneration processes in a fin and tube liquid desiccant system

Abstract

Significant focus has been placed on improving Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) due to the emergence of the large-scale severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus epidemic in the air conditioning system of buildings. There is also a need for an adequate air ventilation system that balances energy needs with air quality. This led to the discovery of liquid desiccants which have the ability to enhance air quality and lower primary energy usage as an alternative to the standard air dehumidification technology. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the dehumidification and regeneration processes in a Fin and tube liquid desiccant system. This involved flowing air horizontally while the ionic liquid flowed through the cooling or heating coil vertically downward to create a cross-flow fin and tube configuration. In the testing process, we obtained measurements of relative humidity and dry bulb temperature inlet and outlet from ducting by varying the input parameters. Moreover, the differential humidity ratio of the inlet and output process for the dehumidification and regeneration was observed to be essential for the dehumidifier performance indices. The experimental result showed that the system absorbed a humidity ratio of 5.5 g/kg during the dehumidification process and released 10.7 g/kg during regeneration.