Experimental analysis on desiccant regeneration in a packed column with structured and random packing

This paper presents the experimental tests on desiccant regeneration carried out in a packed column with the hygroscopic solution H2O/LiBr. Two different packed columns have been tested: a random column consisting of 1” Pall Ring elements and a structured column Mellapack 250Y. The experimental results are reported in terms of desiccant concentration increase, regeneration effectiveness and air side pressure drop. The experimental tests show that desiccant regeneration requires a temperature level around 50 °C that can be easily obtained by using solar energy or heat recovered from an industrial process or from a thermal engine. The random column shows regeneration performance 20–25% higher than structured column, whereas the structured column shows air side pressure drop from 65% to 75% lower. The experimental results have been compared against a one-dimensional simulation code of a packed column: a fair agreement is found between experiments and simulation.