A multiphase flow model of water droplets dielectrophoretic-induced air dehumidification phenomena
Journal Article
·
· International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer
- Auburn University, AL (United States); Auburn university
- Auburn University, AL (United States)
Air humidity in indoor spaces plays a critical role in human comfort and health. Dehumidification systems are used for building humidity controls, but they can take significant energy consumption, especially in geographic locations with high outdoor humidity and warm climates. Consequently, there is a growing demand for innovative dehumidification processes that consume minimal energy. Dielectrophoretic air dehumidification represents one such promising approach. However, it has not garnered significant attention due to the absence of engineering models and simulation tools capable of evaluating its performance and limitations at large-scale airflows. A new numerical multiphase CFD model, which is also experimentally validated, is developed in a customized Reacting Foam solver based on OpenFOAM® version 9. The newly developed model seeks to decrease substantial energy consumption and lower costs by leveraging the dielectrophoretic phenomenon to regulate moisture levels in the air. The solver integrates a hybrid Eulerian-Lagrangian framework to track the droplet's trajectory and growth rate while solving the continuum equations for the moist air. An electrospray produces electrically charged droplets, which grow during their in-flight trajectories as water vapor condenses onto their surfaces. The role of electrostatic forces in promoting vapor condensation within a high-gradient electrical field is investigated, and the dielectrophoretic vapor nucleation process on charged water droplets is discussed. The CFD model was validated against results from the literature and from proof-of-concept experiments conducted by the authors, which showed a 2 % air dehumidification with a single electrospray and airflow rate of 5 cubic feet per minute. The simulation results indicated that augmenting the number of electrically charged spray droplets increased the dehumidification of the air to 25 %. The initial mean droplet diameter, the orientation of the injector and relative humidity significantly influence the assessment of dehumidification. As a result, scaling up this approach to larger airflow volumes is identified as a potential future research direction.
- Research Organization:
- Auburn University, AL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office
- Grant/Contract Number:
- EE0009161
- OSTI ID:
- 2461611
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 2461660
OSTI ID: 2560432
- Journal Information:
- International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, Journal Name: International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer Vol. 159; ISSN 0735-1933
- Publisher:
- ElsevierCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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