How does an industrial dehumidifier work?

How does an industrial dehumidifier work?

In all kinds of industrial production and storage scenarios, humidity is a key factor that cannot be ignored. Excessive humidity may cause a series of problems, such as metal rust and corrosion, electronic component short circuit, food and drug mildew, paper deformation, etc., which seriously affect product quality, production efficiency and equipment life. Industrial dehumidifiers, as professional humidity control equipment, came into being and provided a strong guarantee for the stable operation of industrial environments. Today we will talk about the working principle of industrial dehumidifiers.

(I) Refrigeration and dehumidification principle

The working principle of refrigeration industrial dehumidifier is similar to the refrigeration process of household air conditioners. After the humid air is sucked into the dehumidifier by the fan, it first flows through the evaporator. The surface temperature of the evaporator is much lower than the dew point temperature of the air. When the humid air comes into contact with it, the water vapor in it quickly liquefies when it is cooled, condenses into small water droplets, and then gathers and is discharged through the drainage system. After the initial dehumidification, the temperature of the air is also reduced, and then it flows through the condenser. The condenser will heat the air to bring its temperature back to close to the ambient temperature, and finally send the dry and warm air back to the industrial environment. This cycle is repeated to continuously reduce the humidity in the environment. In this process, the refrigerant flows in a closed circulation system composed of a compressor, an evaporator, a condenser and a throttle valve. The compressor compresses the low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas, which is sent to the condenser to dissipate heat and become a medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid. Subsequently, the liquid passes through the capillary throttling and becomes a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid that enters the evaporator. In the evaporator, it absorbs the heat of the air, vaporizes into a low-temperature, low-pressure gas, and is sucked into the compressor again to complete a refrigeration cycle, thereby achieving continuous dehumidification.

(II) Principle of adsorption dehumidification

Adsorption industrial dehumidifiers mainly rely on special adsorption materials to achieve the dehumidification function. Common adsorption materials include silica gel, molecular sieves, calcium chloride, etc. When humid air passes through the area filled with adsorption materials in the dehumidifier, water vapor molecules will be captured by the surface of the adsorption material. This is because the adsorption material has a porous structure, a large specific surface area, and a strong affinity for water molecules. As the adsorption process proceeds, the adsorption material gradually becomes saturated with adsorption, and at this time it needs to be regenerated to restore its adsorption capacity. The regeneration method is usually to heat the water adsorbed on the surface of the material to evaporate by heat, and turn it into water vapor to be discharged from the dehumidifier, so that the adsorption material regains its moisture absorption capacity and continues to work in dehumidification. For example, in some industrial environments with extremely high humidity requirements and low temperatures, such as lithium battery production workshops, desiccant adsorption dehumidifiers play an important role.

(III) Principle of Rotary Dehumidification

The core component of the rotary industrial dehumidifier is a rotor made of hygroscopic material. The rotor is divided into two parts: the hygroscopic zone and the regeneration zone, and rotates slowly. The humid air first enters the hygroscopic zone of the dehumidifier. In this area, the water vapor in the air is adsorbed by the hygroscopic material on the rotor, thereby achieving air dehumidification. As the rotor rotates, the part that has absorbed moisture gradually enters the regeneration zone. In the regeneration zone, by introducing high-temperature dry air (usually obtained by heating the ambient air with a heater), the rotor is purged to remove the moisture adsorbed on the rotor, so that the rotor can restore its hygroscopic performance. The rotor continues to rotate, repeating the process of moisture absorption and regeneration, and stably providing dry air for the industrial environment. The rotary dehumidifier can work normally in a relatively wide temperature range (-40℃~ +40℃), and is particularly suitable for large industrial sites with high requirements for humidity control accuracy and complex working conditions, such as the dehumidification of the air conditioning system of large data centers.