Experimental Study of a Laminar Flow Solid Desiccant Dehumidifier Driven by a Low Temperature Heat Source

In this paper, an experimental study of a laminar flow solid desiccant dehumidifier has been presented. The cyclic steady state performance of adsorption-desorption processes was analyzed at various heat source temperatures and typical ambient humidity conditions in tropics. The desiccant dehumidification system consists of two beds filled with silica gel, two heat exchangers operating at 30 oC and 80 oC respectively, three humidity stations for measurement of the temperature and humidity conditions of the system and a blower to make airflow throughout the system. Type-RD silica gel of 0.3 mm average diameter was used as the working desiccant in the dehumidification system. This system has no moving parts rendering less maintenance compared with a rotary type. It is also energy-efficient means of dehumidification by adsorption process with low temperature heat source as compared to the conventional methods. As a result, it was observed the humidity ratio of inlet air is reduced from 24 g/kg of dry air to about 17 g/kg of dry air. Concomitantly, hot water at 80 oC is used to regenerate the adsorbent.