Performance study on a structured packed liquid desiccant regenerator

The solution carryover in traditional desiccant regeneration towers is of serious concern in real applications especially when using triethylene glycol (TEG) as a desiccant. In this study, the cellulose rigid media pads are used as the structured packing. The packing arrangements have provided minimum carryover of TEG. A performance study of the simultaneous heat and mass transfer between air and desiccant in a structured packed-stripping tower is conducted. Through the study of the regenerator, important design variables are defined and the regenerator performance is compared with the previous studies. The effects of air and liquid flow rates, air humidity, desiccant temperature and desiccant concentration have been reported on the evaporation rate and humidity effectiveness of the column. It is found that high liquid flow rates do not have a significant effect on the performance variables. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.