Performance Research of a Solid Desiccant Material Regenerating Directly with Solar Energy

This paper studied the thermal and physical properties of a new solar solid desiccant material, including the equivalent thermal conductivity under different moisture content conditions and penetrability under different simulated solar radiation. The results showed that the equivalent thermal conductivity of the material was related to the moisture content and water saturation. In unsaturated state, the equivalent thermal conductivity increased with the increase of the moisture content and presented a linear relation in certain range. When reached saturation, the equivalent thermal conductivity decreased with the increase of the moisture content. These figures could provide the basis for the determination of the thickness of the dehumidification bed and optimization of the design of the dehumidification system.