TY  - EJOU
AU  - Aouni, Ibtissam El 
AU  - Labrim, Hicham 
AU  - Ouabida, Elhoussaine 
AU  - Errouhi, Ahmed Ait 
AU  - Bouayadi, Rachid El 
AU  - Zejli, Driss 
AU  - Saad, Aouatif 

TI  - Performance Evaluation of an Evaporative Cooling Pad for Humidification -Dehumidification Desalination
T2  - Fluid Dynamics \& Materials Processing

PY  - 2024
VL  - 20
IS  - 10
SN  - 1555-2578

AB  - The perfect combination of renewable energy and desalination technologies is the key to meeting water demands in a cost-effective, efficient and environmentally friendly way. The desalination technique by humidification-dehumidification is non-conventional approach suitable for areas with low infrastructure (such as rural and decentralized regions) since it does not require permanent maintenance. In this study, this technology is implemented by using solar energy as a source of thermal power. A seawater desalination unit is considered, which consists of a chamber with two evaporators (humidifiers), a wetted porous material made of a corrugated cellulose cardboard and a condenser (dehumidifier). The evaporation system is tested with dry bulb temperature and relative air humidity data. The results of numerical simulations indicate that higher inlet air velocities (from 0.75 to 3 m/s) lead to a decrease in the ΔT, ΔRH, and effectiveness. With the air remaining within the evaporator for 30 cm, the temperature differential increases to 5.7°C, accompanied by a 39% rise in relative humidity contrast. These changes result in a significant enhancement in humidification efficiency, achieving a remarkable efficiency level of 78%. However, a wettability value of 630 m<sup>2</sup>/m<sup>3</sup> leads to a smaller reduction of these parameters. Increasing the pad thickness, particularly to 0.3 m, improves performance by boosting ΔT, ΔRH, and effectiveness, especially for pads with a wettability of 630 m<sup>2</sup>/m<sup>3</sup>, for which superior performances are predicted by the numerical tests.
KW  - Desalination; humidification; dehumidification; porous material; solar energy; evaporator

DO  - 10.32604/fdmp.2024.050611