Modified PGC model and its validation by experiments for heat and moisture transfer analysis in a vertical fluidized desiccant bed

Abstract

Air dehumidification in fluidized beds utilizing desiccants is an alternative for the refrigeration methods. A variety of pseudo gas controlled (PGC) model are proposed by assuming constant and varying temperature as well as water content for the solid phase to evaluate the conditions of exit air during adsorption processes. Experimental tests for moisture adsorption in silica gel fluidized bed are carried out. The modified PGC model that assumes uniform water content, varying temperature and linear porosity distributions along the bed estimates the temporal average bed water content to agree very well with the experimental data. The RMSE of the numerical results of the present model ranges from 0.2 to 6% and that obtained from the isothermal model are in the range of 6%-68%. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.