Performance of an Adsorptive Heat-Moisture Regenerator Based on Silica Gel–Sodium Sulphate

Abstract

The performance of an adsorptive heat-moisture regenerator based on a silica gel–sodium sulphate composite adsorbent was studied. The correlation between the adsorbent composition and structural characteristics of the laboratory-scale device was investigated. An algorithm for the calculation of the efficiency factors of the adsorptive regenerator was further developed. The suggested algorithm calculates the operational parameters, including the temperatures, humidities and volumetric flows of internal and external air, and estimates the regenerator’s performance via temperature and moisture efficiency factors, total adsorption and time needed to achieve maximum adsorption, air pressure loss and fan power input. The validity of the calculation results obtained using the proposed algorithm was confirmed experimentally. Temperature efficiency factor, air pressure loss and fan power consumption are crucial parameters for the estimation of the optimal operating regime of an adsorptive heat-moisture regenerator. The correlation between meteorological conditions and efficiency factors was assessed and applied in a simulation of residential house-scale air conditioning unit operation. Maximal values of temperature efficiency factor were found at internal and external air temperatures of 15 to 20 °C and −5 to 0 °C, respectively. Moisture efficiency factors were observed to reach their maximum at the absolute humidities of external and internal air of 4.0 to 5.0 g/m3 and 2.75 to 3.0 g/m3, respectively. The fan power consumption of the adsorptive heat-moisture regenerator was found to be comparable to or even lower than that of commercial air conditioning units used in comparably voluminous interiors.