Numerical study on dehumidifying process in falling film dehumidifier

A counter flow model of simultaneous heat and mass transfer of a vapor absorption process in a falling film dehumidifier is developed. The governing equations with appropriate boundaries and interfacial conditions describing the dehumidifying process are set up. Calcium chloride is applied as the desiccant. The dehumidifying process between falling liquid desiccant film and process air is analyzed and calculated by the control volume approach. Velocity field, temperature distribution and outlet parameters for both the process air and desiccant solution are obtained. The effects of inlet conditions and vertical wall height on the dehumidification process are also predicted. The results show that the humidity ratio, temperature and mass fraction of salt decrease rapidly at the inlet region but slowly at the outlet region along the vertical wall height. The dehumidification processes can be enhanced by increasing the vertical wall height, desiccant solution flow rates or inlet salt concentration in the desiccant solution, respectively. Similarly, the dehumidification process can be improved by decreasing the inlet humidity ratio or flow rates of the process air. The obtained results can improve the performance of the dehumidifier and provide the theoretical basis for the optimization design, and the ooeration and modulation of the solar liquid desiccant air-conditioning systems.

Heat Transfer and Friction Characteristics of Wavy Fin with Hydrophilic Coating under Dehumidifying Conditions

An experimental study on the airside heat transfer and friction characteristics of seven hydrophilic-coated wavy finned tube heat exchangers is performed under dehumidifying conditions. The effects of fin pitch, number of tube rows and inlet air relative humidity on the airside characteristics are investigated. The airside heat transfer and friction characteristics are presented in the form of Colburn factor and friction factor, respectively. The test results indicate that the Colburn factor and friction factor increase with decreasing fin pitch. The Colburn factor of 2 tube row heat exchanger is higher than that of 3 row heat exchanger, while their friction factors are nearly equal. As the inlet relative humidity increases, the Colburn factor increases and the friction factor is almost unchanged. The airside heat transfer and friction correlations are proposed for the hydrophilic-coated wavy fin with mean deviations of 6.5% and 9.1%, respectively. They can be used to design or evaluate hydrophilic-coated wavy fin-and-tube heat exchangers.

Short Communication: Enhancing the Drying Process of Microbial-Based Products with a Dehumidifier

The development of microbial-based products requires certain criteria for them to be successfully commercialized. The product must meet the following desirable criteria: effectiveness, contamination free, stability, cost-effectiveness, and a prolonged shelf life. Controlling the drying process is crucial for ensuring the stability and durability of the product. The traditional approach, which involved mechanical and natural drying, led to decreased productivity and quality. The objective of this research endeavour was to achieve a dry process enhancement while preserving the microbial quality of Trichoderma asperellum (M103). The temperature and relative humidity during the drying period were monitored under two conditions: with and without a dehumidifier. The results demonstrate that the dehumidifier increases drying period efficiency by up to 63%.

Experimental Study of the Airside Performance for Interrupted Fin-and-tube Heat Exchanger with Hydrophilic Coating under Dehumidifying Conditions

The airside heat transfer and friction characteristics of seven interrupted fin-and-tube heat exchangers with hydrophilic coating under dehumidifying conditions are experimented.The effects of number of tube rows,fin pitch and inlet relative humidity on airside performance are analyzed.The test results show that the influence of fin pitch on the friction characteristic under dehumidifying conditions is similar to that under dry surface,and the friction factors decrease slightly with the increase of number of tube rows.The heat transfer performance decreases as fin pitch and number of tube rows increases.The heat transfer performance and the friction characteristic are independent of inlet relative humidity.Based on the test results,heat transfer and friction correlations in terms of the Colburn j factor and Fanning f factor,are proposed to describe the airside performance of the interrupted fin geometry with hydrophilic coating under dehumidifying conditions.The correlation of the Colburn j factor gives a mean deviation of 9.7%,while the correlation of the Fanning f factor shows a mean deviation of 7.3%.

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Delamination Repair Plaster Applied to Historical Masonry Building

Often masonry walls of historical buildings are subject to rising damp effects due to capillary or rain infiltrations. In the time, their cyclic action produces decay and delamination of historical plasters. An experimental laboratory procedure for the pre-qualification of repair mortars is described. Long-term plaster delamination frequently occurs because of the mechanical incompatibility of new repair mortars. The tested mortars are suitable for new dehumidified plasters applied to historical masonry walls. Compression static tests were carried out on composite specimens stSone block-repair mortar, which specific geometry can test the de-bonding process of mortar in adherence with historical masonry structure. A numerical simulation based on the cohesive crack model was used to follow the experimental data, in order to describe the evolutionary phenomenon of de-bonding as a function of a small number of parameters. This method supplies useful indication for selecting the product that is best in keeping with the mechanical characteristics of the historical material, thereby avoiding errors associated with materials that are not mechanically compatible. Currently, the methodology is being used at Sacro Monte di Varallo Special Natural Reserve （UNESCO heritage site） in Piedmont （Italy）.

Dynamic Models of Heating and Cooling Coils with One-Dimensional Air Distribution

This paper presents the simulation models of the plate-fin, air-to-water (or water vapour) heat exchangers used as air-heating or air-cooling and dehumidifying coils in the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning) systems. The thermal models are used to calculate the heat exchange between distributing air and coil pipes and outlet temperatures of air and heat or chilled fluid. The aerodynamic models are used to account for the pressure drop of the air crossing the coil tubes. They can also be used to optimize the structures of such coils. The models are based on principal laws of heat and mass conservation and fluid mechanics. They are transparent and easy to use. In our work, a coil is considered as an assembly of numbers of basic elements in which all the state variables are unique. Therefore we can conveniently simulate the coils with different structures and different geometric parameters. Two modular programs TRNSYS (Transient System Simulation) and ESACAP are utilized as supporting softwares which make the programming and simulation greatly simplified. The coil elements and a real coil were simulated. The results were compared with the data offered by the manufacturer (company SOFICA) and also with those obtained using critical methods such as NTU method, etc. and good agreement is attained.

Efficiency comparison and performance analysis of internally-cooled liquid desiccant dehumidifiers using LiCl and CaCl2 aqueous solutions

Internally-cooled dehumidifiers are efficient liquid desiccant dehumidifiers, whose performance is mainly determined by the device structure and operating conditions. Based on energy and mass conservation in the air, solution, and cooling water in the device, mathematical models are built and their theoretical performance is simulated and analyzed in this paper. A novel measure of dehumidification efficiency is introduced to evaluate the performance of internally-cooled dehumidifiers, in which the equilibrium humidity ratio of the inlet solution is calculated according to the minimum temperature in the inlet solution and the cooling water. Numerical simulations show that a counter flow between air and solution is always the most efficient, followed by cross flow, and parallel flow is the least efficient. Cooling water with the same flow direction as the solution performs better than that with a counter flow, with approximately a 5% improvement in efficiency. Compared with Ca Cl2, the dehumidification efficiency of a Li Cl solution is greater by 60%, while its exergy efficiency is less by 16%. Dehumidification efficiency can be improved with the number of air-solution heat transfer units(NTUa-s) increasing, and reduced with the air mass flow rate raised. With NTUa-s increasing, exergy efficiency can be improved, and an increase in mass flow rate of cooling water results in a decrease of efficiency. Higher solution concentration and lower inlet temperature of solution and air can achieve both higher dehumidification efficiency and exergy efficiency.

Numerical investigation of low relative humidity aeration impact on the moisture content of stored wheat

High moisture content wheat kernels are subject to elevated respiration rates due to enzyme activity and mould growth that reduce the dry grain and may produce suffi-cient energy which may be harmful to wheat quality.Grain aeration provides a powerful nonchemical stored grain insect management.Currently,aeration is a suitable and economical device to overcome this problem.The moisture management is vital to prevent spoilage in stored grain.The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of using low relative humidity(RH)aeration on the wheat moisture content.The numerical investigation based on heat and mass balances is developed and used to simulate the evolution of grain temperature and moisture under various air RH in a wheat storage silo.Results show that the dehumidification of blown air had greater potential for decreasing RH of interstitial air and wheat moisture at 30◦C temperature and RH of 40%,50%and 60%.