TEMPERATURE PROFILE AND OPTIMAL ROTATION SPEED OF A HONEYCOMB ROTOR ADSORBER OPERATED WITH THERMAL SWING

Two-dimensional temperature profiles along the honeycomb axis and rota tion angle were monitored by six pairs of thermocouples placed in the rotor at equal intervals in order to measure the extent of regeneratio n of the rotor. At an optimal rotation speed, the axial part of the ro tor near the gas exit is not heated up to the regeneration temperature in the regeneration zone whit the exit temperature remains at a chara cteristic temperature under dynamic equilibrium. Effects of rotation s peed n, air velocity U, regeneration temperature T-el and feed humidit y H-s0 on temperature profile in a honeycomb adsorbent rotor were inve stigated in terms of relative heat capacity Lambda=rho(b)C(pc)nL/beta rho(g)C(pg)U, number of mass transfer units N=kamL/rho(g)U and latent heat ratio r=Q'H-s0/C-pg(T-el-T-s0). Temperature distribution is not m uch different for various values of N. Regeneration of the rotor becom es incomplete and the cooling stage becomes longer dth an increasing v alue of Lambda. Regeneration of the rotor becomes incomplete as the va lue of r becomes larger. Based on experimental results, optimal rotati on speed n(opt) decreases to some extent at higher humidity and lower regeneration temperature, The final recommendation for the optimal rot ation speed is given by a simple relationship Lambda(opt) = 0.38(1-r).