Combined heat and mass transfer analysis for LiCl dehumidification process in a plate type heat exchanger

Liquid desiccant systems have been extensively drawn attention due to its benefits of reducing the energy consumption and being environmental friendly technology. The objectives of this study are to analyze the combined heat and mass transfer characteristics of LiCl (lithium chloride) aqueous solution for the liquid desiccant system of plate type dehumidifier and to compare the analytical model with the experimental results. The plate surface is treated with a hydrophilic coating to enhance the wettability of the solution distribution and to decrease the solution scattering on the plate surface. It can be seen that the heat transfer coefficient and the mass transfer coefficient range from 0.25 to 0.47 kW/m(2)K and from 4 to 12 x 10(-7) m/s, respectively. It is concluded that the air velocity is the most significant element for enhancing the performance during the dehumidification process. Finally, Nusselt and Sherwood number correlations are developed with the error bands of +/- 25%, respectively. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.