Air drying in an adsorption column for cooling operations in open-cycle adsorption systems

A computer algorithm has been developed concerning the heat-and-mass transfers during the process of air drying in an adsorption column with silica-gel. It is well known that such a column is the major component in open-cycle adsorption systems used, in countries with high solar radiations, for cooling operations. The method proposed is based on an appropriate solution of the system of differential equations describing the operation of the physical model. The model accounts for an adsorption column with adiabatic mass-transfer and climatic data for Athens, Greece. Results for the temperature, humidity, enthalpy of air and silica-gel within the column are given for a wine range of parameters, such as the distance from the air entrance section in the column, the hour, the day, the season, the place etc. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.