Impact of particle size of solid desiccant mould on moisture absorption and regeneration time

This work presents the impact of particle size of desiccant material on moisture absorption and regeneration time. To study the absorption and regeneration time, a solid desiccant mould which consists of 60% of bentonite, 10% of calcium chloride, 20% of vermiculite, and 10% of cement with varying vermiculite particle size is selected. Four different types of mould are prepared by varying the vermiculite particle size and tested experimentally in the desiccant drying chamber under uniform conditions. The result shows that the moisture absorption capacity of the mould is increased by 33% for the vermiculite particle size of 5 mm and above than the vermiculite particle size without varying. Uniform air flow in the drying chamber is also verified by using Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis. The mould attains equilibrium moisture level after 6 h and it has to be regenerated for effective moisture absorption.

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