A methodology for selection of solid desiccants in energy recovery ventilators
Date
2025-01-15
Authors
Krishnan, Easwaran N.
Ramin, Hadi
Gurubalan, A.
Muneeshwaran, M.
Li, Kai
Nawaz, Kashif
Simonson, Carey
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Elsevier
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Article
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Abstract
Controlling indoor humidity levels is essential for maintaining acceptable indoor air quality in buildings. The use of energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) is an energy-efficient way to regulate indoor air humidity. Fixed-bed regenerators and rotary wheels are widely used ERVs because of their high sensible and latent effectiveness. These ERVs are made of desiccant-coated substrates, which enable them to transfer moisture between the supply and exhaust air streams. However, the moisture transfer ability of ERVs depends on the physiochemical and sorption properties of desiccants. Extensive, full-scale experiments are required to determine the best desiccant material for these systems. This paper presents a simplified method of selecting suitable desiccant materials for ERVs. The methodology involves important characterization methods, literature correlations for performance prediction, and cost-effective testing methods prior to full-scale testing, and full-scale test methods are discussed in detail. Furthermore, the performance of a few newly derived materials is evaluated and compared with that of conventional desiccants such as silica gel and molecular sieves. The highest latent effectiveness was obtained for composite of super absorbent polymer (SAP) with potassium formate (SAP-HCO2K-50 %), all-polymer porous solid desiccant (APPSD) and metal organic framework (MOF)–MIL–101 (Cr), followed by activated carbon fibre felt (ACFF) Silica sol-LiCl30, SAP, silica gel, MOF–303, and molecular sieve. Researchers and manufacturers would benefit from the proposed methodology and presented data in developing new desiccant materials for ERV applications.
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© 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
This is the accepted version of the article published as: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.124830.
Keywords
Solid desiccants, Energy recovery ventilator, Moisture transfer, Energy recovery
Citation
Krishnan, E., Ramin, H., Gurubalan, A., Murugan, M., Li, K., Nawaz, K., & Simonson, C. (2024). A methodology for selection of solid desiccants in energy recovery ventilators. Applied Thermal Engineering, 259, 124830–124830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.124830
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DOI
10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.124830