Regeneration of sorption dehumidifiers in superheated steam with MVR heat pump (SteamReg)
Two Danish companies, along with DTU and the Danish Technological Institute, will develop a novel and patent-pending industrial dehumidifying technology. The new technology is based on desiccant dehumidifying, and will cut at least 50 % of operating costs compared to state-of-the-art desiccant technology.
The project develops and tests a new technology that can reduce energy costs for dehumidification in the industry with 50 %. This will increase the competitiveness of sorption dehumidifiers as customers have increased focus on energy efficiency. The technology is electrically driven, energy efficient, and reduces the use of fossil fuels.
The need for dehumidification exists in both ventilation and in industrial processes and is generally very energy-intensive. The project consists of equipment manufacturers that will bring the technology to market, plus researchers from DTU and DTI.
A desiccant dryer consists of a rotor that can absorb moist from the air. The rotor is commonly made of silica gel. The rotor is divided into two sections: 1. A moisture absorbing section and 2. A regeneration section. Heat is supplied in order to regenerate the rotor, where after it is most often led to the environment as waste.
The new concept regenerates the rotor in a closed and superheated steam atmosphere, and the steam released from the rotor is compressed in a unique MVR heat pump, so that the vapor condensation energy is used as the primary source of energy for the regeneration process.
The project goal was to develop and test a new technology that reduces energy expenses for sorption dehumidification in the industry with 50 %.
The new concept regenerates the rotor in a closed and superheated steam atmosphere, and the steam released from the rotor is compressed in a unique MVR heat pump, so that the vapor condensation energy is used as the primary source of energy for the regeneration process.
The project has successfully developed a small but full-scale sorption dehumidifier with a steam-dried regeneration circuit, which by utilizing the waste energy to heat up the process-air can reduce the energy cost by up to 50 %. The project has also developed and tested a new MVR heat pump concept. The compressor technology used seems very promising for the purpose, as steam was compressed from 1 to 7 bar (100 to 165° C) with a COP of 3 to 4. The heat pump system needs however to be optimized before it can be commercialized. The energy required for operating the dehumidifier is too high for the heat pump itself, wherefore it must be combined with an extra energy source. Such combination will reduce the energy cost by up to 17 %.
Key figures
Category
Participants
| Partner | Subsidy | Auto financing |
|---|---|---|
| DryingMate A/S | ||
| Teknologisk Institut | ||
| Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) |
