Modified PGC model and its validation by experiments for heat and moisture transfer analysis in a vertical fluidized desiccant bed

•A modified PGC model for the heat and mass transfer in fluidized bed is presented.•Adsorption experiments are conducted using vertical fluidized bed of silica gel particles.•The fluidized bed is treated instantaneously as packed bed with varying porosity along the bed.•Numerical results compare well with the experimental data when heat of adsorption is accounted for.•Uniform water content, varying temperature and linear porosity along the bed are key variables.

Air dehumidification in fluidized beds utilizing desiccants is an alternative for the refrigeration methods. A variety of pseudo gas controlled (PGC) model are proposed by assuming constant and varying temperature as well as water content for the solid phase to evaluate the conditions of exit air during adsorption processes. Experimental tests for moisture adsorption in silica gel fluidized bed are carried out. The modified PGC model that assumes uniform water content, varying temperature and linear porosity distributions along the bed estimates the temporal average bed water content to agree very well with the experimental data. The RMSE of the numerical results of the present model ranges from 0.2 to 6% and that obtained from the isothermal model are in the range of 6%–68%.