DEHUMIDIFICATION OF AIR BY AQUEOUS TRIETHYLENE GLYCOL SOLUTION IN A SPRAY TOWER

A spray tower in the absorber-stripper system has been designed to stu dy the absorption of water vapor from moist air by contact with aqueou s solutions that contained from 87.7 to 95.2% triethylene glycol (TEG) . The design of a ''U-shape'' air tunnel with eliminators in the absor ber and stripper is to prevent the carryover of the solution and to in crease the absorption rate and the regeneration rate. This spray tower was capable of handling air flow rates from 1.94 to 3.77 kg/min and l iquid flow rates from 2.17 to 3.31 kg/min. Under the operating conditi ons of this study, the overall mass transfer coefficients calculated f rom the experimental data of 95.2% TEG solution varied from 1.78 to 2. 95 mol/m(3)s. These corresponded to the heights of a transfer unit of 0.63 to 0.38 m, respectively. The efficiencies of the spray tower typi cally varied from 64 to 86%.