Experimental measurement of thermophysical properties of H2O/KCOOH (potassium formate) desiccant

•This paper presents thermophysical properties of H2OKCOOH desiccant in the solution concentration 60–80% of salt.•H2O/KCOOH desiccant exhibits a thermal conductivity 23–33% lower than water.•H2O/KCOOH desiccant exhibits a dynamic viscosity 4–30 times higher than water.•H2O/KCOOH seems to be very promising as “desiccant of the future”.

This paper presents the measurement of the thermal conductivity and the dynamic viscosity of H2O/KCOOH (potassium formate) desiccant with a salt concentration from 60 to 80% in the temperature range 1–80 °C. The thermal conductivity measurement gives evidence of a great sensitivity to salt concentration and lower sensitivity to temperature: H2O/KCOOH desiccant shows a thermal conductivity from 23 to 33% lower than water at the same temperature. H2O/KCOOH desiccant exhibits a Newtonian behaviour in all the investigated ranges of temperature and concentration. The relative viscosity shows a great sensitivity to salt concentration and weak or no sensitivity to temperature up to a solution concentration of salt around 70%. For higher solution concentration of salt (75 and 80%) the relative viscosity shows a great sensitivity also to temperature. H2O/KCOOH desiccant presents a dynamic viscosity from 4 to 30 times higher than water at the same temperature.