Desalination 367 (2015) 49–59

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Desalination

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/desal

Energy and exergy analysis for a humidification–dehumidification

desalination system integrated with multiple inserts
C. Muthusamy a, K. Srithar b,⁎
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sethu Institute of Technology, Kariapatti 626115, Tamilnadu, India
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai 625015, Tamilnadu, India

H I G H L I G H T S G R A P H I C A L A B S T R A C T

• Developed an economical HDH desali-

nation system for productivity enhance-
ment.
• Inserts in air heater and de-humidifier
augmented the productivity and system
efficiency.
• Performance of the system optimized
by using energy and exergy analysis.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: An experimental analysis is conducted to accelerate the productivity of the humidification dehumidification
Received 13 December 2014 (HDH) desalination system. In the air heater region of the HDH desalination system, inserts namely (i) twisted
Received in revised form 6 March 2015 tape in short length with tapered form, (ii) cut out conical turbulators integrated with internal fins arranged in
Accepted 24 March 2015
convergent and divergent mode and (iii) half perforated circular inserts with an orientation angle of 45°, 90°,
Available online 2 April 2015
and 180° are tried out respectively with pitch ratio (PR) of 3, 4 and 5 to enhance the heat transfer rate in the
Keywords:
air heater. Two types of packing materials, such as gunny bag and saw dust, are tested in the humidifier region
Humidification–dehumidification desalination accommodating the mass transfer rate. Also an attempt has been made to augment the overall heat transfer
system coefficient in the dehumidifier with spring insert for PR of 3 and 4. An energy and exergy analysis construed
Heat transfer enhancement the quantity of effective utilization of energy with the modified HDH desalination system. The enhanced system
Insert produced 45% increase of productivity compared to conventional system of 0.340 kg/h. For the same input power,
Packing material the modified system enhanced the heat output and productivity equivalent to a power saving of 40% and 13%
Energy respectively.
Exergy
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

⁎ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: ponsathya@hotmail.com (K. Srithar).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2015.03.032
0011-9164/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
50 C. Muthusamy, K. Srithar / Desalination 367 (2015) 49–59
1. Introduction
In the past several researches focused on creating an economical
solution for providing potable water. Based on their investigations
HDH desalination systems proved to be an economical solution. In
order to enhance the performance of the HDH desalination system,
various research works have been carried out.
Ghazi et al. [1] experimentally studied the effect of operating param-
eters such as temperature and flow rate of feed water, air and cooling
water on the productivity of the HDH desalination system which con-
sists of a plain electrical air heater and proved that the productivity in-
creases with the increase of mass flow rate of air and decrease of
cooling water temperature. Agouz [2] conducted the experiments to
study the behavior of humid air based upon the effect of water temper-
ature. The mass flow rate of water and saline water level in the tank
were evaluated and suggest that temperature and mass flow rate of
air and water influence the system productivity.
Guofeng et al. [3] investigated the performance of a solar humidifica-
tion–dehumidification desalination system in which higher outlet air
temperature and relative humidity increased the absolute moisture
content of the air flow, which improved fresh water production of the
unit under the same cooling condition. The water production test re-
sults show that the fresh water production increases as solar radiation
strengthens, and the system water production can reach 1200 L/day,
when the average intensity of solar radiation gets to 550 W/m2.
Dai et al. [4] studied the effect of operating conditions such as flow
rates, temperatures of feed water, air and cooling water in order to im-
prove the performance of the solar humidification–dehumidification de-
salination system. Amer et al. [5] carried out detailed experiments with
various operating conditions and several packing materials and showed
that the system productivity increased with the increase in the mass
flow rate of water. Guofeng et al. [6] designed a closed circulation desa-
lination system and focused on studying and analyzing the collector
area, cooling water flow rate, and seawater flow rate of the system.
Yamili and Solmus [7] studied the effect of mass flow rate and tem-
perature of air, feed water and cooling water on the productivity of a
solar HDH desalination system with a single and double pass solar air
heater and proved that the double pass solar air heater showed an in-
creased productivity of 8% compared with the single pass air heater.
Hisham Ettouney [8] evaluated the characteristics of four configurations
of HDH desalination system namely the conventional system, the me-
chanical compressor system, the desiccant system, and the membrane
air drying system. Al-Hallaja et al. [9] has made an extensive study of
combining the principle of humidification–dehumidification with
solar desalination results showing an increase in the overall efficiency
of the desalination plant. Dai and Zhang [10] investigated the
performance of the HDH desalination system and found that the
performance was strongly based on the temperature and mass flow
rate of the feed water and process air.
The exergy analysis concept is widely recognized as a necessary tool
to quantify the thermodynamic losses in a given system. Alhazmy [11]
presented a theoretical analysis to estimate the minimum work re-
quired for a HDH desalination system. Shaobo Hou [12] conducted an
exergy analysis of the components of a solar HDH desalination process
and identified the solar collector as having the lowest exergy efficiency.
Fawzi et al. [13] calculated the thermodynamic losses in a solar powered
membrane distillation unit using the exergy concept. Karan et al. [14]
investigated the HDH system to maximize the gained output ratio by
minimizing the specific entropy generation of the cycle. Ashrafizhadeh
et al. [15] conducted an exergy analysis in the HDH system and devel-
oped the equations for analyzing exergy in the system.
Eiamsa-ard et al. [16] investigated the performance of a double pipe
heat exchanger fitted with regularly spaced twisted tape elements and
proved that the heat transfer coefficient increases with increase in
twist ratio and friction factor. Muthusamy et al. [17] investigated the ef-
fect of cut out conical turbulators with integrated fins on heat transfer
and friction factor in a circular tube. Results showed that the turbulators
with divergent mode enhance the heat transfer rate by 315% compared
to a plain tube. Promvonge et al. [18] analyzed the V turbulators with a
snail entry in the circular tube with the pitch ratio 2, 4 and 7 for the sim-
ilar conditions. The arrangement with PR 3 shows the highest Nusselt
number of 120 compared to the plain tube value of 30 for Reynolds
number of 17,000 and the friction factor of 3.5, 0.2 observed for a tube
with inserts and a plain tube respectively. Suresh et al. [19] experimen-
tally studied the effect of heat transfer and friction factor characteristics
in the circular tube using two wire coil inserts of pitch ratio 2 and 3 with
the Al2O3/water nanofluid with 0.1% of volume concentration in transi-
tion flow. The Nusselt number increases up to 20% compared to the
plain tube and the increased value of 45 observed compared to the
plain tube Nusselt number of 12 for Reynolds number of 3000. Hsieh
et al. [20] carried out experimental studies on heat transfer and flow
characteristics for turbulent flow of air in a horizontal circular tube
with longitudinal and cross strip inserts. They reported that the friction
factor increase due to the inclusion of inserts was typically between 1.1
and 1.5 compared to the plain tube for the Reynolds number maintained
between 6500 to 19,500 with respect to a bare tube.
Aforementioned works revealed that introducing inserts in the flow
passage augments the heat transfer rate. Researchers carried out such
experimentation in the application of the air heater and water heater
and leaving a gap to apply this concept to the HDH desalination system.
The objective of this present work is to achieve a higher performance in
the HDH desalination system by introducing inserts in the air heater as
well as in the dehumidifier of the existing HDH desalinaion system. An
additional objective is to compare the performance of the HDH desali-
nation system by using two different types of packing materials in the
humidifier.
2. Description of the system
A humidification–dehumidification desalination system mainly con-
sists of blower, air heater, water heater, and humidifier chamber and
shell and tube condenser unit. The schematic sketch of the desalination
system is shown in Fig. 1. The air heater consists of a galvanized iron pipe
with 33 mm internal diameter with a thickness of 1.5 mm and 500 mm
length which is insulated by asbestos rope to inhibit heat losses, and a
500 W band heater attached around the center of the air heater.
The water heater is made up of 13 mm diameter galvanized iron
pipe with 1000 mm length covered in the center by the band heater
with a capacity 1 kW. The humidifier chamber is made of polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) tube of 152 mm diameter and 800 mm height. Packing
materials are arranged in two layers as shown in Fig. 1. The shell and
tube condenser with one shell and 5 tube passes is used as dehumidifier
with 13 mm tube diameter and 1000 mm length and covered by the
outer shell of 152 mm diameter.
2.1. Working of the system
The process air enters the air heater pumped by the blower, and
heated by the electric band heater. Hot air then enters the humidifier
and moves upwards. Hot saline water coming from the water heater is
sprinkled downwards in the humidifier and collected in a saline water
tank and sent back to Tank 1. The hot air coming upwards is humidified
due to the heat and mass transfer between the hot saline water and the
process air.
The moist air from the humidifier chamber is passed to the inner
tubes of the shell and tube condenser and rejects its latent heat to the
cold saline water (coming from Tank 2) which flows around the inner
tubes of the condenser. Counter flow is maintained between the two
fluids to achieve maximum heat transfer rate. The cold fluid (water)
from the shell and tube condenser is collected in the hot water tank
and sent back to Tank 1. Condensed distilled water from hot moist air
is collected in the distillate tank. After reaching steady state, the
 C. Muthusamy, K. Srithar / Desalination 367 (2015) 49–59
Fig. 1. Schematic view of humidification–dehumidification desalination system.
temperature and flow rate are measured at the inlet and exit of the air
heater, water heater, humidifier and dehumidifier. K type thermocou-
ples are used to measure the temperature at various locations. A hy-
grometer is used to measure the relative humidity at the inlet and
outlet of all the components and also a ‘U’ tube manometer is used to
measure the mass flow rate of air.
Experiments on the humidification–dehumidification desalination
unit are conducted in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of
Thiagarajar College of Engineering, India. Experiments are conducted
for various combinations of parameters as follows: mass flow rate of
air, orientation and pitch ratio of inserts. The mass flow rate of the air
is varied between 14 and 21 kg/h.
3. Modifications of the HDH system
3.1. Air heater inserts
Increasing the temperature of the air at the humidifier inlet leads to
reduced relative humidity which causes more absorption of water
vapor. This increases the production rate. The heat transfer rate can be
augmented by using the following inserts which induce the turbulent
motion in air.
3.1.1. Taper twisted tape
Short tapered twisted tapes are experimented with in convergent
and divergent arrangements with PR = 3, 4 and 5. Aluminum strip
with thickness of 0.8 mm and 33 mm of bigger side width and 21 mm
of smaller side width is used as insert shown in Fig. 2a.
3.1.2. Cut-out conical inserts
Each conical cut-out turbulator is made of stainless steel and the fins
are integrated within the turbulator as shown in Fig. 2(b).
The conical turbulator is fabricated with the larger base having a di-
ameter of 33 mm and the smaller base having a diameter of 21 mm with
a length of 100 mm. The conical turbulators are arranged in convergent
(C) as well as divergent patterns (D).
3.1.3. Half perforated circular inserts
The half perforated circular inserts with a diameter of 33 mm were
assembled in the stiff central rod and can be rotated for setting up
51
different orientation angles of β = 45°, 90°, 180° with PR = 3, 4 and
5. In each circular plate, 15 holes were made on one half in a circular
pattern. The half perforated circular plates are shown in Fig. 2(c).
3.2. Humidifier packing materials
Two different packing materials namely gunny bag and saw dust
have been used to increase the contact time of air and water in the hu-
midifier for better mass transfer rate. These two materials were selected
based on their moisture absorption capacity.
3.3. Dehumidifier inserts
Spring inserts are incorporated in all the inner tubes of the shell and
tube condenser which are used to augment the condensation rate by
increasing the heat transfer rate between the shell side and tube side
fluids and its performance is analyzed for two pitch ratios: 3 and 4.
4. Theoretical analysis
The mathematical model for the humidification–dehumidification
desalination process includes energy and material balances for all the
components of the system. The following assumptions are considered
in the model analysis:
• Steady state operation is assumed.
• Negligible heat leakage in all components due to perfect insulation
4.1. Air heater
The air flowed through the circular tube with uniform heat flux
conditions. At steady state, the heat absorbed by the air is assumed to
be equal to the convective heat transferred from the test section.
From Fig. 1, the energy balance is given as [16–18]
Energy produced in heater (Qin) = energy convected out (Qconv) =
sensible heat rise of air
VI ¼ hAðT s −T b Þ ¼ mC P ðT 2 −T 1 Þ: ð1Þ
52 C. Muthusamy, K. Srithar / Desalination 367 (2015) 49–59

Fig. 2. (a) Photographic view of twisted tape insert. (b) Photographic view of conical insert. (c) Photographic view of circular insert.

Thus the heat transfer coefficient h can be found out by [16–18] 4.2. Humidifier

During humidification, water evaporates from the water stream into

mC p ðT 2 −T 1 Þ air. This is also associated with removal of latent heat for evaporation
h¼ : ð2Þ
AðT s −T b Þ from the water stream as well as the transfer of sensible heat from the
water to the air stream. In humidification chamber mass transfer takes
place between hot air and hot water stream results in reduction in sen-
Based on the heat transfer coefficient Nusselt number is evaluated as sible heat of water and increase in moisture capacity of air.
[16–18] From Fig. 1, the humidifier energy balance is given below [1]
Sensible heat gain in water = latent heat of condensation in moist
hd air
Nu ¼ : ð3Þ
k
mw C pw ðT 4 −T 5 Þ ¼ ma ðH 6 −H 2 Þ: ð5Þ

And the friction factor based on pressure drop can be determined by The mass transfer coefficient [1]
[16–18], 2 3



ma KaV 6ðH4 −H6 Þ−ðH5 −H2 Þ7
6
7
ðH6 −H2 Þ ¼ ð6Þ
2dΔΡ mw mw 4 ðH 4− H 6 Þ 5
f ¼ : ð4Þ ln
ρLC 2 ðH 5 −H 2 Þ
 C. Muthusamy, K. Srithar / Desalination 367 (2015) 49–59 53

 
where KaV
L is the mass transfer coefficient, K is the overall mass transfer For condenser [12–15]
coefficient of water in air (kg/m2s), a is the specific mass transfer area
(m2/m3) and V is the packing volume (m3). Specific exergy of cooling water at inlet; ð14Þ
" !#
  T
4.3. Dehumidifier ex8 ¼ C pw ðT 8 −T O Þ− T O C pw ln 8
TO
During the dehumidification process, the heat and mass transfer
processes are reversed, where water condenses from the air stream. Specific exergy of cooling water at outlet; ð15Þ
Also latent and sensible heat is transferred from the air stream to the   
T 
cooling water stream. ex9 ¼ C pw ðT 9 −T O Þ− T O C pw ln 9 :
Condenser energy balance is [1] TO
Applying energy balances in condenser [1]
Specific exergy of saturated air at inlet and exit are found out by,
mCw C CW ðT 9 −T 8 Þ ¼ ma ðH 6 −H 7 Þ: ð7Þ 



 T
ex6 ¼ ðC P Þda þ wo ðC P ÞV ðT 6 −T O Þ−T o ðC P Þda þ wo ðC P ÞV ln 6
TO
The overall heat transfer coefficient in the dehumidifier can be calcu- 


1 þ 1:6078wO w6
lated by the following equation þT o ðRda þ w6 Rv Þ ln þ 1:6078wa Rda :
1 þ 1:6078w6 w ln 0
ð16Þ
mcw C CW ðT 9 −T 8 Þ ¼ U c Ac LMTDc ð8Þ
For humidifier [12–15]
½ðT 6− T 8 Þ−ðT 7 −T 9 Þ The exergy efficiency or second law efficiency of air heater can be
LMTDC ¼
 ð9Þ
T 6− T 8 expressed by
ln
T 7 −T 9
Ex1−2 m ðex ‐ex Þ H −H 1 −T O ðS2 −S1 Þ
ηex:ah ¼ ¼ a 2 1 ¼ 2 : ð17Þ

 Inputpower Inputpower ðInputpowerÞah
mcw C CW ðT 9 −T 8 Þ
U¼ : ð10Þ
AC LMTDC
The exergy efficiency of water heater can be expressed by [12–15]




 T
mw cw ðT 3 −T 4 Þ− T O ðC ÞW T O ln 3
4.4. Analysis of productivity Ex3−4 T4
ηex:wh ¼ ¼ : ð18Þ
Inputpower ðInputpower Þwh
From the experimental values, the production of distilled water can
be found out by using the following equation [1] The exergy efficiency of humidification process can be expressed by

mdw ¼ ma ðw6 −w7 Þ: ð11Þ ΔEx6 ma ex6

ηex:hu ¼ ¼ : ð19Þ
ðΔEx4−5 þ ΔEx2−6 Þ mðex4 −ex5 Þ þ mðex6 −ex2 Þ

The exergy efficiency of dehumidification process can be expressed

4.5. Energy analysis
by

The energy required for distilled water production depends on the ΔEx8−9 mcw ðex8 −ex9 Þ
latent heat of vaporization and is given by [1] ηex:dehu ¼ ¼ : ð20Þ
ΔEx6−7 ma ðex6 −ex7 Þ

Edw ¼ mdw hfg : ð12Þ

4.7. Error analysis
The performance or energy efficiency of an HDH desalination system
The characteristics of the various measuring instruments used in the
is defined as the ratio between latent heat evaporation of the water pro-
experiments are tabulated as shown below (Table 1). Error analysis is
duced, and the net heat input to the system [1]
carried out for the thermometer, temperature indicator, manometer,

 voltmeter and ammeter. The minimum error that occurs in any instru-
mdw hfg
η¼ ð13Þ ment is equal to the ratio of its least count to the minimum value of
QT output measured.
The uncertainties in the measurements are defined [19,21] as the
where QT is the total heat input to the system (summation of power root sum square of the fixed error of the instrumentation and random
input given to blower, air heater and water heater). error observed at various measurements.

4.6. Exergy analysis Table 1

Accuracies and ranges of measuring instruments.
Exergy is defined as available useful work. Second law efficiency is Instrument Range Accuracy Uncertainity (%)
the measure of effective utilization of energy in the process and depends
Temperature indicator 0–500 °C ±1 °C 3.3
on both system and surrounding. The use of exergetic analysis can give Manometer 500 mm 1 mm 4
the details about the plant components which can be improved further. Orifice meter 500 mm 1 mm 4
The exergy analysis was conducted with the help of experimental Ammeter 0–20 A 0.01 A 0.2
values. This analysis identifies the scope where the maximum energy Voltmeter 0–220 V 0.1 V 0.2
Hygrometer 0–100 ±1 1
losses take place and identifies where the improvement is needed:
54 C. Muthusamy, K. Srithar / Desalination 367 (2015) 49–59

Uncertainties associated with the dependent variables like Reynolds considerable enhancement in the heat transfer rate in the wake of the
number, friction factor and Nusselt number were also estimated by baffles. It can be seen that perforations in the half of the baffles agitating
using the following equations [19]. Uncertainty in a measurement con- local flow velocity in porous void helps to increase the heat transfer rate
sists of two major components such as bias error (B) and random error and also reduce the friction factor. The maximum value of the heat
(R). Bias error is a constant and systematic error in the process. Random transfer coefficient is shown in the case of the highest orientation
error is the repeatability error. The uncertainty in the experimental angle of the insert at 180° for all the pitch ratios.
measurements is defined as the root mean square of the fixed error Cut out conical turbulators induced the recirculating flow with high
and the random error [19]. turbulence. The presence of the fins in the inner surface resulted in good
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi recirculating flow in the space between two successive fins. In the D-
 2 ffi
Uncertainty ¼ B þ R2 ð21Þ turbulator arrangement the flow reversion is more due to the wake's
sudden expansion and extension of better heat transfer rate than that


2 0:5 of the C-turbulator arrangement. The PR = 3 generates strong turbulent
ΔRe Δm 2 Δd
¼ þ ð22Þ intensity and thus superior heat transfer which leads to the maximum
Re m d
heat transfer coefficient in all the three pitch ratios.


2

 0:5 The twisted tape inserts create strong turbulence intensity leading to
Δf ΔðΔpÞ 2 ΔL Δd 2 ΔRe rapid mixing of flow causing heat transfer enhancement. This enhance-
¼ þ þ 3 þ 2 ð23Þ
f Δp L d Re ment is mainly due to the centrifugal forces resulting from the spiral mo-


2
2

 0:5 tion of the fluid and partly due to the tape acting as fin. The short length
ΔNu ðΔC Þ 2 ΔI Δd ΔT W 2 ΔT b 2 taper twisted tape enhances the heat transfer rate with less pressure drop.
¼ þ þ þ þ : ð24Þ
Nu C I d TW Tb In all the above cases, the turbulent motion of air is created while
using inserts in the air heater. This turbulent motion increases with in-
The calculations pointed out that the uncertainties involved are crease in mass flow rate. The different orientations influence the flow
±0.5% for Reynolds number, ±1.4% for friction factor and ±0.14% for pattern of the air which simultaneously increases the heat transfer
Nusselt number. The experimental results are reproducible within coefficient.
these uncertainty ranges. Fig. 4 shows the effect of inserts on friction factor in an air heater.
The half perforated baffles provide more interruption to the thermal
5. Results and discussion boundary layer flow. Considerable pressure loss takes place in the
D-turbulators of cut out conical type and twisted tape which leads to
The consequence of the experimental analysis on the effect of using increase of the friction factor.
inserts in air heater, dehumidifier and also different packing materials in The PR = 3 generates more flow barrier, so in all cases, it creates
humidifier is discussed here. maximum heat transfer rate with higher pressure loss.

5.1. Effect of inserts on heat transfer rate and friction factor 5.2. Economical augmentation

Fig. 3 indicates the effect of air heater inserts on the heat transfer The thermal enhancement factor (η) is defined as the ratio of the
coefficient of the air. The heat transfer coefficient is directly proportional heat transfer coefficient of an augmented surface, ht to that of a smooth
to the Reynolds number. The increase in Reynolds number lowers the surface, hp, at an equal pumping power and given by [17,18]
boundary layer thickness of the wall, which in turn increases the heat ! 1
0 t
transfer coefficient. ht
The usage of inserts increases the exit temperature of air in the air B h C
B p C
heater which represents the heat transfer augmentation. In the case of η¼B C
B f t 0:333 C: ð25Þ
half perforated baffles, a part of the flow was seen to pass through the @ A
fp
holes in the baffles in the form of jets. And the jet-flow causes

Fig. 3. Effect of inserts on heat transfer enhancement.

 C. Muthusamy, K. Srithar / Desalination 367 (2015) 49–59 55

Fig. 4. Effect of friction factor.

The heat transfer enhancement in the air heater was obtained with Energy input given to the air heater is 500 W.
less investment cost. From the figure, it was experiential that the heat

transfer coefficient of air using inserts 570 W/m2K compared to the 164
Percentage of power utilization in plain air heater¼ ¼ 32:8%
plain tube of 55 W/m2K and the thermal enhancement factor using 500
inserts was greater than one and has a maximum value of 8.8 at the

Reynolds number of 11,000 (Fig. 5). 340
Percentage of power utilization using inserts ¼ ¼ 68%
The total heat output is equated with the power input given to the 500
system.

340−164
Percentage of power saving using inserts ¼ ¼ 40%:
VI ¼ Q ¼ mC P ðT 2 −T 1 Þ: ð26Þ 500

From Eq. (26) the sensible heat rise of air in the air heater zone is ob-
In the normal case, the air heater without any inserts delivered
tained as 164 W for the given power input of 500 W, whereas by using
a heat output of 164 W but the air heater equipped with the inserts
inserts a maximum sensible heat rise of 340 W was noted. For the same
delivered a heat output of 340 W.
input power (500 W) 33% of heat output was obtained in the normal
system and in the air heater of the modified HDH desalination system,

 heat enhancement takes place up to 68% which is equivalent to the
21
Q plain ¼  1005  ð60−32Þ ¼ 164 W 40% saving of input power.
3600
Energy input given to the air heater is 500 W, water heater is
1000 W, and for the blower 170 W.


21 mdw hfg
Q inserts ¼  1005  ð90−32Þ ¼ 340 W: Energy utilized for distillate production ¼ Edw ¼ ð27Þ
3600 3600

Fig. 5. Effect of inserts on thermal performance factor.

56 C. Muthusamy, K. Srithar / Desalination 367 (2015) 49–59

Fig. 6. a. Effect of packing materials on mass transfer coefficient. b. Effect of spring inserts on overall heat transfer coefficient.

Energy utilized for distillate production without any inserts 5.3. Effect of inserts on mass transfer coefficient
0:340  2370
¼ ¼ 0:223 kW
3600 Fig. 6(a) shows the variation of mass transfer coefficient with mass
flow rate of air in which it is observed that the mass transfer coefficient
increases with mass flow rate of air.
Total power input given to the system¼500 þ 1000 þ 170 Since the increase of mass flow rate of air augments the mixing of air
¼ 1670 W ¼ 1:67 kW
with water, this simultaneously leads to increase of mass transfer coef-
ficient. Comparing both types of packing materials, the gunny bag has
0:223 better water retaining capacity without any restriction to the air flow.
Power utilization without any inserts ¼ ¼ 13:40%
1:67 Even though the saw dust had good water retaining capacity it may
block the air flow after some time. From the figure it was revealed
that the usage of the gunny bag in the humidifier gives a higher mass
Energy utilized for distillate production with using inserts
transfer rate for all the mass flow rate of air.
0:670  2370
¼ ¼ 0:441 kW
3600
5.4. Effect of spring inserts on condenser
0:441
Power utilization using inserts ¼ ¼ 26:40%
1:67 Fig. 6(b) reveals the variation of overall heat transfer coefficient in
the dehumidifier set with the spring inserts for pitch ratios of 3 and 4.
The overall heat transfer coefficient increases with the increase in
Percentage of power saving using inserts ¼ 26:40−13:40 ¼ 13%: mass flow rate of air. The usage of inserts changes the flow pattern

Fig. 7. Variation of mass flow rate of air and efficiency.

 C. Muthusamy, K. Srithar / Desalination 367 (2015) 49–59
into turbulent flow which simultaneously increases the overall heat
transfer coefficient. This effect is higher in the case of the low pitch
ratio of 3.
5.5. First law of efficiency of the system
Fig. 7 shows the effect of mass flow rate of air on the overall system
efficiency of modified HDH desalination system. The usage of twisted
tape inserts of divergent type with PR 3 in the air heater produces the
maximum evaporation rate by increasing the temperature of air leaving
from the air heater and leads to higher system efficiency compared with
other inserts used in the air heater.
And also the increase of mass flow rate of air increases the evapora-
tion rate by absorbing more amount of water vapor from feed water
which simultaneously increases the productivity. So the first law of
efficiency is directly proportional to the mass of air.
5.6. Second law of efficiency of the system
Fig. 8 shows the second law of efficiency of the air heater and humid-
ifier. The exergy efficiency increases with the increase of the Reynolds
number. The usage of inserts in the air heater increases the exit temper-
ature of air in the air heater. Increase of the air temperature raises the
Fig. 8. a. Exergy efficiency of air heater and humidifier. b. Effect of inserts on energy, exergy and productivity of HDH system.
57
water temperature and its exergy contents. So the exergy efficiency of
the air heater and humidifier increases. From the figure it was revealed
that the maximum exergy efficiency of the air heater was obtained
using twisted tape in the air heater and gunny bag in the humidifier.
Divergent types of twisted tape and conical inserts and 180° orientation
in circular insert, gives the higher second law of efficiency compared to
the remaining orientations. It represents that the losses are minimum in
the above said cases.
Fig. 8(a) shows the comparison between the first and second laws of
efficiency and the productivity of the modified HDH desalination
system. The increase of Reynolds number, creates lesser effect on the
second law of efficiency compared to the first law of efficiency. The
usage of inserts increases the exit temperature of air which simul-
taneously increases the exit temperature of the vapor leaving the
humidifier.
The highest energy, exergy efficiency and also maximum productiv-
ity were obtained in the HDH desalination system equipped with twist-
ed tape with divergent mode in air heater. Comparing the productivity,
the normal system produces the maximum distillate of 0.340 kg/h with
the first law of efficiency of 20% and second law of efficiency of 15% but
the enhanced system equipped with inserts in air heater and dehumid-
ifier produces 0.670 kg/h with the first law of efficiency of 44% and
second law of efficiency of 38% with 45% increase of its productivity.
58 C. Muthusamy, K. Srithar / Desalination 367 (2015) 49–59

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[6] Guofeng Yuan, Hefei Zhang, Mathematical modelling of a closed circulation solar de-
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[7] Cemil Yamali, Ismail Solmus, Theoretical investigation of a humidification and dehu-
midification desalination system configured by a double pass flat plate solar air
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[8] Hisham Ettouney, Design and analysis of humidification–dehumidification desalina-
tion process, Desalination 183 (2005) 341–352.
[9] Said Al-Hallaja, Sandeep Parekha, M.M. Faridb, J.R. Selmana, Solar desalination with
humidification–dehumidification cycle, review of economics, Desalination 195
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[10] Y.J. Dai, H.F. Zhang, Experimental investigation of a solar desalination unit with hu-
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[11] Majed M. Alhazmy, Minimum work requirement for water production in humidifi-
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[12] Shaobo Hou, Dongqi Zeng, Shenguan Ye, Hefei Zhang, Exergy analysis of the solar
multi effect humidification–dehumididification desalination process, Desalination
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[13] Fawzi Banat, Nasreen Jwaied, Exergy analysis of desalination by solar powered
membrane distillation units, Desalination 230 (2008) 27–40.
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5.7. Comparison of previous results the performance of humidification–dehumidification desalination system, Int. J.
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The present results are compared with the previous related works of [15] S.A. Ashrafizadeh, Exergy analysis of humidification–dehumidification desalination
system using driving forces concept, Desalination 285 (2012) 108–116.
humidification–dehumidification desalination system given in Fig. 9. [16] S. Eiamsa-ard, C. Thianpong, P. Promvonge, Experimental investigation of heat
Cemil Yamali and Ismail Solmus showed that the productivity of a transfer and flow friction in a circular tube fitted with regularly spaced twisted
solar HDH desalination system with a solar double pass air heater was tape elements, Int. Commun. Heat Mass Transf. 33 (2006) 1225–1233.
[17] C. Muthusamy, M. Vivar, I. Skryabin, K. Srithar, Effect of conical cut out turbulators
increased by 8% compared with a single pass air heater. Air is heated
with internal fins in a circular tube on heat transfer and friction factor, Int. Commun.
by using a double pass solar air heater whereas water is not heated. So Heat Mass Transf. 44 (2013) 64–68.
the productivity is less compared with other works given in Fig. 9. [18] Pongjet Promvonge, Smith Eiamsa-ard, Heat transfer augmentation in a circular
Agouz investigated the humid air behavior in a single stage of desalina- tube using V nozzle turbulator inserts and snail entry, Exp. Thermal Fluid Sci. 32
(2007) 332–340.
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humidifier chamber to produce the humidified air and the productivity and friction factor characteristics of Al2O3/water nanofluid in a circular pipe
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the related works. chanics), International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, pp. 823–835.
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6. Conclusion
Nomenclature
The performance enhancement of HDH desalination is made by A: area of the pipe, m2
C: velocity, m/s
inserting three types of inserts in the air heater, two types of packing d: diameter of the pipe, m
materials in the humidifier namely gunny bag and saw dust and also ex: specific exergy, J/kg
spring insert in the dehumidifier. The enhanced HDH system was tested E: energy, J/s
Ex: exergy flow rate, J/s
with various orientations in which short length twisted tape insert of PR f: friction factor
3 in air heater and gunny bag in humidifier and spring inserts in the de- Cp: specific heat of air, J/kgK
humidifier with PR 3 produced 45% increase of productivity with a max- h: heat transfer coefficient,W/m2 K
I: current,a mps
imum distillate of 0.670 kg/h per 0.0597 m2 area of air heater passage.
k: thermal conductivity, W/mk
In the modified HDH desalination system, energy efficiency of 44% L: length of the tst section, m
and exergy efficiency of 38% were achieved. In the normal system max- LMTD: log mean temperature difference
Q: heat transfer rate, W
imum distillate of 0.340 kg/h with the first law of efficiency of 20% and
m: mass flow rate kg/h
second law of efficiency of 15% was obtained. From these considerations Nu: Nusselt number
of air heater with twisted tape inserts, the heat transfer enhanced with a T: temperature, K
thermal enhancement factor of 9 seems to be attractive in power sav- PR: pitch ratio = p/d
H: enthalpy J/kg
ings at the same pumping power. In the enhanced HDH desalination Pa: atmosphere pressure, Pa
system the same input power is utilized as in the normal system and R: gas constant
brings improved heat transfer rate and productivity at the same cost Re: Reynolds number
S: entropy J/K
for the benefit of power saving. U: overall heat transfer coefficient, W/m2K
V: voltage, V
w: specific humidity, kg/kg dry air
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 C. Muthusamy, K. Srithar / Desalination 367 (2015) 49–59 59

Subscripts da: dry air

1: air heater input dehu: dehumidifier
2: air heater output dw: distilled water
3: water heater input hu: humidifier
4: water heater output in: input
5: waste water outlet from the humidifier out: outlet
6: saturated vapor inlet to the condenser o: atmospheric condition
7: dehumidified air from the condenser p: smooth pipe
8: cooling water inlet to the condenser s: surface
9: cooling water outlet from the condenser t: turbulator
a: air v: vapor
ah: air heater w: water
b: mean = T/2 fw: feed water
c: condenser hfg: latent heat of vaporization, J/kgK
cw: cooling water