A rotary dehumidifier wheel is the most important component in solid desiccant dehumidification and cooling systems. Advanced desiccant materials are being developed to improve the performance of the rotary dehumidifier and the system. For a rotary dehumidifier that uses advanced desiccant materials, operation that optimises the heat and mass transfer processes is very important to attain the best performance. The performance of a desiccant wheel using an advanced/optimised desiccant material could be inferior to a conventional desiccant wheel that is operated at its optimum rotational speed. Shows the effect of isotherm shape, maximum desiccant matrix moisture uptake, and number of transfer units (NTU) of the desiccant wheel on the dehumidification performance and demonstrates that the rotational speed is a key control parameter to achieve optimal dehumidifier performance. The results also show the performance sensitivity to the type of desiccant used (i.e., maximum moisture loading and isotherm shape) and the design of the dehumidifier (i.e., NTU).

KEYWORDS: controls, optimisation, desiccants, dehumidifiers, rotating, speed, performance.

Units: SI