Conjugate Transport Data in Flat Plate Membrane Channels Used for Air Humidification

Abstract The conjugate heat and mass transport phenomena in the flat plate membrane channels used for air humidification are disclosed and investigated. The water and the processing air streams are separated by the semi-permeable membranes, which prevent liquid droplets from escaping into the processing air and polluting ambient. Heat and water vapor are exchanged between the two streams through the membranes in a cross-flow arrangement. The equations governing the momentum, energy and mass transports in the two streams are established and solved together with the conjugate heat and mass transfer boundary conditions. The conjugate transport data including Nusselt and Sherwood numbers in the channels are then numerically obtained, experimentally validated, and analyzed. It is found that compared to the traditionally metal-formed flat plate channels, the conjugate transport data in the membrane-formed ones have substantial discrepancies. These results can provide more reasonable fundamentals for the future structural design and energy analysis of the membrane-formed rectangular channels employed for air humidification.