The current work describes a model for a desiccant dehumidifier which uses a parabolic concentration profile assumption to model the diffusion resistance inside the desiccant particle. The relative merits of the parabolic concentration profile model compared widely utilized rotary desiccant wheel models are discussed. The periodic steady-state parabolic concentration profile model developed is efficient and can accommodate a variety of materials. These features make it an excellent tool for design studies requiring repetitive desiccant wheel simulations. A quartic concentration profile assumption was also investigated which yielded a 2.8 percent average improvement in prediction error over the parabolic model.

Issue Section:
Research Papers
Topics:
Dehumidifiers, Wheels, Design, Diffusion (Physics), Engineering simulation, Errors, Particulate matter, Simulation, Steady state
1.
ASHRAE Fundamentals, 1985, ASHRAE, Atlanta, GA.
2.
Bulirsch
R.
, and
Stoer
J.
,
1966
, “
Numerical Treatment of Ordinary Differential Equations by Extrapolation Methods
,”
Numerische Mathematik
, Vol.
8
, pp.
1
–
13
.
3.
Bullock
C. E.
, and
Threlkeld
J. L.
,
1966
, “
Dehumidification of Moist Air by Adiabatic Adsorption
,”
ASHRAE Transactions
, Vol.
72
, No.
1986
, pp.
301
–
313
.
4.
Carter
J. W.
,
1966
, “
A Numerical Method for Prediction of Adiabatic Adsorption in Fixed Beds
,”
Transactions Instn. Chem. Engineers
, Vol.
44
, pp.
1253
–
1259
.
5.
Do
D. D.
, and
Rice
R. G.
,
1986
, “
Validity of the Parabolic Profile in Adsorption Studies
,”
AIChE Journal
, Vol.
32
, No.
1
, pp.
149
–
154
.
6.
Holmberg
R. B.
,
1979
, “
Combined Heat and Mass Transfer in Regenerators with Hygroscopic Materials
,”
ASME Journal of Heat Transfer
, Vol.
101
, p.
205
205
.
7.
Liaw
C. H.
,
Wang
J. S. P.
,
Greenkorn
R. R.
, and
Chao
K. C.
,
1979
, “
Kinetics of Fixed Bed Adsorption: A New Solution
,”
AIChE Journal
, Vol.
25
, No.
2
, pp.
376
376
.
8.
Majumdar, P., Worek, W. M., and Lavan, Z., 1985, “Heat and Mass Transfer in a Composite Desiccant Material,” ASME Division of Heat and Mass Transfer, ASME, New York, pp. 1–10.
9.
Morris, A. H., 1990, NSWC Library of Mathematical Subroutines, Naval Surface Weapons Center, Dahlgren, VA.
10.
Pesaran, A. A., 1983, “Moisture Transport in Silica Gel Particle Beds,” Ph.D. Thesis, Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA.
11.
Pesaran
A. A.
, and
Mills
A. F.
,
1987
, “
Moisture Transport in Silica Gel Packed Beds—I. Theoretical Study
,”
International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer
, Vol.
30
, No.
6
, pp.
1037
–
1049
.
12.
Rice
R. G.
,
1982
, “
Approximate Solutions for Batch, Packed Tube and Radial Flow Adsorbers-Comparison with Experiment
,”
Chemical Engineering Science
, Vol.
37
, No.
1
, p.
83
83
.
13.
Roy
D.
, and
Gidaspow
D.
,
1974
, “
Nonlinear Coupled Heat and Mass Exchange in a Cross-Flow Regenerator
,”
Chemical Engineering Science
, Vol.
29
, pp.
2101
–
2114
.
14.
Schultz, K. J., 1987, “Rotary Solid Desiccant Dehumidifiers,” Ph.D. Thesis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.
15.
Towler
B. F.
, and
Rice
R. G.
,
1974
, “
A Note on the Response of a CSTR to a Spherical Catalyst Pellet
,”
Chemical Engineering Science
, Vol.
29
, pp.
1828
–
1832
.
16.
Van den Bulck
E.
,
Mitchell
J. W.
, and
Klein
S. A.
,
1986
, “
The Use of Dehumidifiers in Desiccant Cooling and Dehumidification Systems
,”
ASME Journal of Heat Transfer
, Vol.
108
, pp.
684
–
692
.
17.
Van den Bulck, E., 1987, “Convective Heat and Mass Transfer in Compact Regenerative Dehumidifiers,” Ph.D. Thesis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.
This content is only available via PDF.
Copyright © 1995
 by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
You do not currently have access to this content.