A review of correlations and enhancement approaches for heat and mass transfer in liquid desiccant dehumidification system

Abstract

Liquid desiccant cooling systems are considered a promising technology for accurate humidity control and high energy efficiency. The dehumidifier and the regenerator are the two main components in the system, and their performance directly determines the system performance. This paper is a comprehensive review of the empirical correlations for the determination of mass transfer coefficient and moisture effectiveness in both adiabatic and internal cooling/heating dehumidifier/regenerators, and it further discusses approaches to enhance their mass transfer performance. These methods include structural improvements, such as structural modification, ultrasound atomisation and membrane-based modules, and modification of liquid desiccants, such as the addition of surfactants and nanoparticles. Finally, a brief summary and some suggestions for future work are outlined and addressed.