Experimental Study on a Cross Flow Plate Type Dehumidifier for a Liquid Desiccant Cooling System
Abstract
A cross-flow plate-type heat and mass exchanger is developed and experimentally examined as a dehumidifier in a liquid desiccant system. The sorbent used is lithium chloride (LiCl). The dehumidifier utilizes novel components and ideas in order to overcome the present obstacles such as the carryover of the sorbent into the air stream and the flow maldistribution of the sorbent over the exposed surfaces. First experimental results show fairly effective air dehumidification. The dehumidifier was investigated without internal cooling of the sorbent. The performance of the dehumidifier was characterized by the moisture removal rate and dehumidification efficiency. The influence of the supply air flow rate, inlet temperature and relative humidity, and the desiccant flow rate on the performance was investigated. The respective moisture removal rate and the dehumidifier effectiveness were evaluated