Experimental setup

Two different sets of experiments were carried out to prove the advancements on the distribution system.

Подпись: Fig. 3. Experimental setup to determine the optimum size and number of discharge points for the distributor (upper), and to check the LiCl diffusion through the textile (lower).

1. The objective of the first test is to determine the optimal size and number of discharge points distributed along the plastic tube. The optimized tube will serve the LD flow rate required by the application and ensure fairly equal amounts of the LD throttled-out through each discharge bore. Five perforated plastic tubes are tested. Each tube is perforated by a CNC machine in equally-spaced positions. H2O/LiCl (30% salt concentration by weight) is used as the liquid desiccant with three volume flow rate values. In order to investigate the effect of the distance between the LiCl feed-box and the discharge-point location, different positions along the tube are selected. Transparent PVC hoses are used to enclose the discharge-bores, without affecting the throttled LiCl. The free ends of the PVC hoses are connected to plastic bottles in order to collect the LiCl throttled out of the intended discharge-bore. Fig. 3 shows the experimental setup.

2. The second test is a comparison between different types of textiles (100% cotton, 100% viscose, 100% polyester, 100% polyamide and wood pulp based textiles) with different thicknesses and different weaving. Each type of the mentioned textiles has been tested to measure the absorption capacity and the diffusion speed by simply pouring a quantity of LiCl onto the upper surface of a taut piece of textile, and measuring the needed time for the LiCl droplets to be completely absorbed by the textile fibers. Each type has been tested in both, dry and wet state. Then PC plates were coated with the textiles which show the best absorption and diffusion speed, and exposed to a LiCl solution throttled through the perforated plexiglass tube. A violet fluorescent light and dyes have been used to support the visual inspection of LiCl distribution through the textile fibers. Fig. 3.