Controlling Temperature and Relative Humidity in Greenhouses Using a Liquid Desiccant Dehumidification System
Masoud, Waleed A. Bin . 2017
Although evaporative cooling systems are beneficial in greenhouses, relative humidity is increased. Some increase in relative humidity reduces evapotranspiration and can be beneficial for plants. However, above certain levels, problems with diseases and fungi occur. Thus, it would be beneficial to find a way to utilize evaporative cooling that produces cooled air below a desired humidity. This study investigated the possibility of using a flow of liquid desiccant to both reduce the humidity and the energy associated with condensation from the system. This research examined the system primarily as a research tool, and evaluated its viability for commercial application. The liquid desiccant used in this study was lithium chloride (LiCl). The performance of the liquid desiccant system was evaluated by varying the temperature and concentration of the liquid desiccant. A combination of 25 C solution temperature and 0.25 solution mass fraction met the targeted relative humidity of this study, which was 80%, with an increase in the outlet dry bulb temperature of 2.5 C. This study also highlighted the impact of removing moisture from the ambient air on the psychrometric properties of air.
Although evaporative cooling systems are beneficial in greenhouses, relative humidity is increased. Some increase in relative humidity reduces evapotranspiration and can be beneficial for plants.…
Although evaporative cooling systems are beneficial in greenhouses, relative humidity is increased. Some increase in relative humidity reduces evapotranspiration and can be beneficial for plants.…