Experimental investigation of the influence of vapor compression refrigeration in a multistage reciprocating dehumidifier test rig

The present work focuses on constructing a multistage reciprocating dehumidification test rig integrated with the vapor compression refrigeration and desiccant regeneration units. Four Celdek 7090 pads located at four different positions, undergoes reciprocating motion based on the cam follower mechanism and will be dipped in an absorber tank containing calcium chloride desiccant. Experiments are conducted with and without a vapor compression refrigeration unit for varied air velocities and desiccant concentrations. Results indicated that the dehumidification efficiency, moisture removal rate, and mass transfer coefficient are increased by 8.3%, 7.3%, and 4.5% for the system with a vapor compression refrigeration cycle compared to the system without a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. Energy consumption details reveal that the vapor compression refrigeration integrated cycle requires slightly higher energy than without vapor compression refrigeration resulting in reduced system coefficient of performance. Integrating vapor compression refrigeration has lowered the energy requirement for regeneration of the desiccant by 53%. The study infers that the dehumidification unit with vapor compression refrigeration gave better dehumidification performance with a slightly lesser coefficient of performance than the system without a vapor compression refrigeration cycle.