Heat and mass transfer characteristics of vertical falling film cylindrical plastic surfaces under partial wetting conditions for liquid desiccant regeneration

The regenerator plays a dominant role in the overall energy-economic performance of liquid desiccant systems. Nevertheless, very few studies have been reported on falling film liquid desiccant regenerators. Most of the previous studies targeted experimental/numerical modelling needs of regeneration process under design conditions. In the current research workexperimental investigation of regeneration process is carried out to study the coupled heat and mass transfer process for adiabatic regeneration of LiCl liquid desiccant over outer surface of vertical Plain and Modified polypropylene cylindrical surfaces under design (complete wetting) and part load (partial wetting) operating conditions. Modified cylindrical surfaces are developed to compensate the poor wetting of the plastic surfaces. New generalised one-dimensional numerical philosophy is proposed to accommodate the need of part load operating conditions by inclusion of actual wetting of the working surface as well as convective heat transfer happening from dry patches of solid surface to the flowing air. The heat and mass transfer coefficients are determined by solving the governing coupled heat and mass balance non-linear differential equation using the numerical finite difference method. It is found that the Modified surface offered an average improvement of 35.8% in the mass transfer coefficient under partial wetting conditions. New Sh and Nu number correlations are proposed by incorporating heat and mass transfer driving potentials and new parameter wetting factor. The developed correlations predicted the change in humidity and temperature across the regenerator with an average error of 6.2% and 7.5%, whereas from the existing two correlations found in the literature, the first one predicted the same experimental observations with an average error of 54.6% and 36.2%, while second one predicted with an average error of 77.3% and 22.0%, respectively. The results highlighted that the assumption of complete wetting of working surface under part load operating conditions leads to significant error in prediction of air outlet conditions. The proposed correlations will be helpful for numerical modelling and simulation of falling film regenerators under wide range of liquid loading conditions.