Effect of structured packing density on performance of air dehumidifier

An experimental study has been conducted to investigate the performance of a liquid desiccant air dehumidifier equipped with a structured packing made of wood for three different densities using triethylene glycol (TEG) as the liquid desiccant. The structured packing densities used were 77, 100 and 200 m(2)/ m(3). The performance of the dehumidifier was expressed in terms of the moisture removal rate and the dehumidifier effectiveness under different air and desiccant parameters, i.e. the air and TEG flow rates, air and TEG inlet temperatures, inlet air humidity and inlet TEG concentration. In general, the trend in the dehumidifier performance was similar to that reported by other investigators using random packing. The effect of packing density on moisture removal rate and dehumidifier effectiveness is assessed. The differences in the effectiveness of different packing densities are attributed to the wetting condition. Lower effectiveness of the column is shown with the packing density of 200 m(2)/m(3) compared to the other two packing densities when the air flow rate, inlet concentration and desiccant flow rate are increased. However, higher effectiveness is shown when either the inlet temperature of the air or desiccant is increased. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.