Humidification performance of hollow-fiber membrane humidifier for air-conditioning applications

In this research, a new humidification method is proposed, and the humidification performance of a single module is experimentally investigated. The humidification module was manufactured in a cylindrical structure, and the humidification performance was evaluated by supplying air to the feed side and circulating water to the permeate side. The humidification performance was evaluated according to two main operating variables, circulating water temperature and circulating water flow rate. Experimental results showed that the humidification rate of the proposed module was 0.59 ∼ 9.49 kg/s, and the humidification effectiveness was 11.8 ∼ 95.6% under various operating conditions. The temperature of the circulating water significantly affects the humidification performance, but the flow rate of the circulating water has an insignificant effect on the humidification performance. As a result, the proposed humidifier can supply humid air with a relative humidity of 80% to the room without a temperature change under standard conditions.