Dehumidification of Air on a Vertical Rectangular Fin: A Numerical Study

Abstract

A theoretical analysis of the performance of a cooling and dehumidifying vertical rectangular fin has been carried out. Conventional fin theory based on the assumption of a uniform and known sensible heat-transfer coefficient was extended by incorporating the condensate thermal resistance and fin thickness into the analysis for gravity-controlled flow during dehumidification. The fin and the condensate layer equations were solved numerically and evaluated for both insulated and uninsulated fin tip boundary conditions, by assuming a Biot number at the fin tip. Numerical results are presented for various psychrometric and flow conditions and compared with those of a dry fin.