Two-Wheel Desiccant Dehumidification System in Textile Industry

Source: New Cloth Market

Two-Wheel Desiccant Dehumidification System in Textile Industry

Source: New Cloth Market
By: Mehrab Lahijany Abstract Desiccant dehumidification technology provides a method of drying air before it enters a conditioned space. When combined with conventional vapor compression systems, desiccant dehumidification systems are a cost-effective means of supplying cool, dry, filtered air. In the last decade, desiccant dehumidification technology has emerged as an alternative or as a supplement to conventional vapor compression systems for cooling and conditioning air in commercial and institutional buildings. A typical hybrid system combines a desiccant system with a conventional vapor compression cooling system. Desiccant-based systems are cost-effective because they use low-grade thermal sources to remove moisture from the air. In general, the benefits of desiccant-based systems are greater where the thermal energy required for regenerating the desiccant is readily available, the electricity price is high, and the latent load fraction is high (>25%). If there is no difference in energy costs, the factors that influence the economy include climate conditions (humidity's) and high outdoor-air requirements. In other situations, the important variables that drive the economics should be carefully evaluated. There are, however, a few applications where the technology's benefits have been so extensively demonstrated that no detailed analysis is required: textile storage and manufactures spaces. About the Technology Technology for Dehumidification and Improving Indoor Air Quality. Although there are a variety of desiccant dehumidification technologies, the primary focus of this Technology Alert is the two-wheel desiccant system (TWDS). Except when describing elements common to all desiccant-based systems, no other desiccant dehumidification processes are discussed here. Desiccant dehumidification technology has been used in military storage and many industrial applications for more than 60 years (Harriman III 1990). Continuous desiccant dehumidification process can be achieved in a number of ways using liquid spray-tower, solid packed tower, rotating horizontal bed, multiple vertical bed, and rotating wheel. The TWDS falls into the rotating wheel category. In such a TWDS, the moist air stream, which has a high vapor pressure, passes through a rotating desiccant wheel. The desiccant, which has a low vapor pressure, adsorbs the moisture until the desiccant is saturated. Next, the saturated portion of the wheel rotates into a hot air stream, which is forced through the wheel to remove the moisture from the desiccant. The dried desiccant is rotated back into the moist air stream, and the process repeats itself. After it has been regenerated (dried), the desiccant is cooled to lower its vapor pressure. As shown in Figure 1, a TWDS consists of a desiccant wheel, a rotary heat exchanger (sometimes referred to as a sensible heat wheel), a supply fan, an exhaust fan, and a heat source for regenerating the desiccant. The desiccant wheel is made of finely divided desiccant material, usually silica gel, titanium silicates, or some type of zeolite (a mineral containing hydrous silicates). The desiccant material is impregnated into a fibrous support structure, which looks like corrugated cardboard that has been rolled into the shape of a wheel or into a wheel-shaped rotor with a lightweight structural honeycomb core of man-made, fire-retardant material. The rotary heat exchanger, which exchanges (recovers) heat rather than moisture, resembles the desiccant wheel in appearance and design Any form of thermal energy stream (usually at 180F or above) can be used to dry and regenerate the desiccant, including electric- resistance heaters, solar hot water coils, heat reclaim coils, hot water or steam from boilers, or natural gas burners. Most commercial applications use either direct- or indirect-fired natural gas burners. The actual desiccant cycle is explained later in this section.

Fig. 1. Schematic of the Two-Wheel Desiccant System The TWDS can control or lower humidity, but its ability to lower sensible heat is limited. Therefore, in most commercial applications the TWDS is supplemented with either a vapor compression or an evaporative cooling system. These "hybrid" systems are described later in the Technology Alert (henceforth, much of the discussion in this Technology Alert will be focused on the hybrid systems). Most commercial systems are designed to maximize the energy cost savings and minimize the initial cost. To optimize the benefits of hybrid systems, an understanding of the impacts of the technology, the load being served (latent versus sensible), and the climate in which it is operating are all essential parameters. These topics are reviewed below. Application Domain Desiccant systems have been widely used in applications where the prime consideration is special system requirements rather than energy efficiency or competitive pricing. They have been successful in these instances because there are no practical alternative processes that are capable of providing low moisture levels (less than 30F dew-point), low microbial growth, or improved indoor air quality. In the residential and the commercial building sectors, desiccant technology currently competes with the well-established conventional vapor compression technology Energy Savings Mechanism The energy-saving mechanism of a TWDS can best be understood by comparing the dehumidification and cooling process of the conventional and the desiccant-based systems. Both systems can be operated in various modes (recirculation, pure ventilation, and mixed). These modes will be discussed later in the Technology Alert, but to illustrate the energy savings feature, it is assumed that both systems take in 100% outdoor air. The following steps describe the psychometric process for a hybrid desiccant dehumidification and supplemental cooling system (the letters correspond to state points on the psychometric chart in Figure 2).

Fig 2. (a) Comparison of a Hybrid Desiccant-Based Dehumidification and Supplemental Cooling Process with a Conventional Dehumidification and Cooling Process (b) Desiccant Reactivation Process Dehumidification A: Intake--hot and humid outdoor air enters the & lrm; desiccant wheel at point A on the psychometric chart (Figure 2 (a)). A-B: Dehumidification--as the moisture from the outdoor air is removed by sorption, the heat generated when the water is sorbet (akin to condensation) remains in the air stream, increasing the air stream's sensible load. There is a slight increase in the enthalpy (i.e., the energy content of the air stream increases), when latent heat is being converted into sensible heat. At state B, the air is hot and dry and cannot be directly used to cool the conditioned area.

Cooling B-C: Heat loss or post-cooling--the dehumidified outdoor air enters the rotary heat wheel, where it exchanges heat with the exhaust (return) air stream from the conditioned space. In this process, the hot and dry outdoor‎ air cools down, and the cold exhaust air is pre-heated for reactivating the desiccant wheel. C-D: Supplemental cooling--the air leaving the rotary heat wheel is colder than the air leaving the desiccant wheel, but further cooling is often required before & lrm; it can enter the conditioned space. This can be achieved by using a conventional direct-expansion vapor compression cooling system. D-E: Space cooling load--the exhaust air leaving the conditioned space is at state E.

Regeneration E-H: Heat recovery & lrm;--the exhaust air stream enters the rotary heat wheel where it exchanges heat with the hot and dry air leaving the desiccant wheel. Part of the heat lost in step B-C is recovered by this process (Figure 2 (b)). H-I: Heat addition--the hot exhaust air is further heated to increase the vapor pressure at the desiccant. I-J: Reactivation--the hot exhaust air stream dries and reactivates the saturated desiccant. For comparing the above process with that of a conventional system, the following steps for cooling and dehumidification with a conventional vapor compression system are shown on the psychometric chart (Figure 2(a)):

Sensible cooling A: Intake--hot and humid outdoor air enters the evaporator coil of a conventional vapor compression system at point A on the psychometric chart (Figure 2 (a)). A-F: Sensible cooling--the hot and humid outdoor air stream is cooled until it reaches saturation. At this point, the air is cold enough to be used in the conditioned space, but cannot be circulated because it is saturated with moisture. To remove moisture, the air must be cooled to below its dewpoint temperature.

Latent cooling (dehumidification) and reheat F-G: Dehumidification--the evaporator continues to cool the saturated air stream and condenses the moisture‎, further reducing the dry-bulb and the humidity. If the humidity requirement is low (less than 40 grains/lb of dry air), the air must be cooled to less than 43F in order to condense enough moisture. In this state, it is too cold to be circulated to conditioned space. G-D: Reheat--the cold, dry air stream is mixed with hot air or reheated to the desired circulation temperature (state D). D-E: Cooling load--the exhaust air leaves the conditioned space (state E).

The psychometric processes shown in Figure 2 highlight the differences in the way dehumidification is accomplished by the two systems. The amount of energy saved depends primarily on the ability of the hybrid system to shift part of the cooling load (dehumidification load) to a low-grade thermal source and to eliminate reheat (step G-D). The fan power is slightly increased because of increased air pressure drop through the desiccant and sensible wheels. The amount of energy saved and the reduction in electric demand depend on several factors. The key factors are discussed later. Other Benefits Desiccant-based systems in general and the hybrid system in particular, offer several benefits besides energy conservation. Desiccant systems often permit reductions in the size of the conventional system (vapor compression unit), because part of the cooling load (dehumidification load) is shifted to the desiccant system. Size reduction not only saves energy, but it also decreases electrical demand and may reduce initial capital investment. In some hybrid systems, the vapor compression system can be replaced with less expensive direct or indirect evaporative cooling systems. Hybrid systems permit independent control of both temperature and humidity. In conventional cooling systems, only temperature is controlled directly; the humidity is allowed to vary. Desiccant-based systems can reduce the moisture much below the 40F dew-point temperature, while the conventional cooling systems can only dehumidify the air to temperatures above the 40F dew-point temperature. Desiccant-based systems can improve indoor air quality because of precise humidity control. Where conventional systems are used in humid climates, there is potential for microbial growth in the ducts and condensate drain pans because of inadequate moisture removal. This is not a problem for a desiccant-based system because there is typically very little water on a post-desiccant cooling coil or, subsequently, in the drain pan and the air distribution ducts. Hybrid systems can provide year-round comfort (the boiler used for reactivation can be used for comfort heating) and the heat wheel can be used to recover energy all year. As international standard move to replace CFC-11, CFC-12, and CFC-22 refrigerants with HCFC123 and HCFC-134a, which only provide about 90% of the existing capacity, desiccant systems can be used to replace the capacity.

What to Avoid The hybrid desiccant cooling system may be less attractive If‎ the conditioned space dew-point requirement is higher than 50F. If‎ the latent fraction of the total cooling load is less than 25%.‎ If‎ the designers and installers are inexperienced. As with any heating or air-conditioning system, approved calculation procedures should be used for sizing.

Design and Equipment Integration It is, important that the reader know the basic steps in the design process, which are listed below: Determine local climatic design conditions, e.g., design dry-bulb and dew-point temperatures. Establish the control levels (temperature and humidity). Determine building heating and cooling loads (both latent and sensible) at design conditions:determine number of occupants in the space calculate ventilation requirements for the occupants and for appropriate building pressurization calculate latent loads from ventilation, occupants, infiltration size TWDS to meet the latent load calculate sensible loads from internal gain (including occupants), infiltration, and ventilation Size conventional cooling system to meet the internal sensible load, plus the load to cool the hot dry process air to the required set point. Talk to several desiccant cooling system manufacturers (a list of manufacturers is provided at the end of this Technology Alert) to identify the most suitable types of equipment. Select the alternative HVAC system components, including the indoor air-distribution system type, and size the alternatives as required. Determine the monthly and annual building heating and cooling energy requirements Estimate the cost of the hybrid system and the alternative system. Perform life cycle cost.

Result:‎ Industrial cooling and drying systems shall be designed to maximize the energy cost savings and minimize the initial cost. In these systems we have two loads as latent and sensible. Vapor compression based systems are not cost-effective because they use high-grade energy (shaft work) sources to over come latent lode (remove moisture from the air). But Desiccant-based systems are cost-effective because they use lowgrade thermal sources to remove moisture from the air.‎ the repayment of desiccant-based systems are greater where the thermal energy required for regenerating the desiccant is readily available, the electricity price is high, and the latent load fraction is high (>25%). If there is no difference in energy costs, the factors that influence the economy include climate conditions (humidity's) and high outdoor-air requirements. In other situations, the important variables that drive the economics should be carefully evaluated.‎ Reference:‎ & lrm; Energy User News (EUN). 1996. Energy User News Matrix of Commercial and Industrial Utility Incentive Program. Energy User News, July, pp. 50-52. Harriman, III, L.G., Editor. 1990. The Dehumidification Handbook. 2nd Edition, published by Minters Cargocaire, Amesbury, Massachusetts Harriman, L. 1996. Applications Engineering Manual for Desiccant Systems. American Gas Cooling Center, Arlington, Virginia. Manley, D.L., K.L. Bowlen, B.M. Cohen. 1985. Evaluation of gas-fired desiccant-based space conditioning for supermarkets. ASHRAE Transactions 91(1B): 447-456. Marciniak, T J., R.N. Koopman, D.R. Kosar. ‎1991. Gas-fired desiccant dehumidification system in a quick-service restaurant. ASHRAE Transactions, 97(1): 657-666. Meckler, M., R. Heimann, J. Fischer, and K. McGahey. 199‎5. Desiccant Technology Transfer Workshop Manual. American Gas Cooling Center, Arlington, Virginia. Mei, V.C., F.C. Chen, Z. Lavan, R.K. Collier Jr., and G. Meckler. 1992. An Assessment of Desiccant Cooling and Dehumidification Technology. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL/Con-309, Oak

Ridge, TennesseeVIII. Novosel D. 1996. Advances in Desiccant Technologies. Energy Engineers, 93(1): 7-19.

About the Author: The Author is Master of science in mechanical engineering & lrm;