DEHUMIDIFYING GREENHOUSE AIR BY DIRECT CROSS-CURRENT CONTACT WITH AN ORGANIC DESICCANT LIQUID

Greenhouse air can be dehumidified by direct contact with a desicant fluid on a trickle exchanger. The water vapour extraction rate depends on the hygroscopicity of the fluid and on the exchanger efficiency. An organic fluid, the triethylene glycol (TEG) at 90% concentration, has been tested. Cross corrugated cellulosic pads, of the type used in cooling, irrigated with TEG, were placed in a wind channel to dehumidify air at various speeds and temperatures. A semi-analytical model, based on energy and mass conservation, correctly reproduces the water vapor extraction rate and the enthalpy change of both fluids. It is shown that TEG trickling through a ventilated pad of 1 m(2) area and 0.1 m thickness can be used to extract 3 to 5 kg of water vapor per hour in greenhouse climate control applications. Several pads arranged in series can be used to decrease more efficiently the absolute humidity of the air, for other applications like food drying or industrial compressed air.