Experimental and Numerical Study of Air Sweeping Over Bare Water Flat Area

Abstract

The transport criterion of water from a flat surface through a stream of air was predicted by developing a two-dimensional model. A special experimental device was designed and built for this purpose. Numerical simulation of heat and mass transfer processes was carried out using CFD. The developed model consists of water on one side and a stream of air blown along its top surface aiming at the establishment of an air humidifier. The operating conditions of this humidifier are adjusted to fulfill an adiabatic saturation process (air washer). The model uses the basic equations of momentum, heat, and mass balance. Computational runs were conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics ® software. Experimental results showed good agreement with both computational CFD and analytical Psychrometry. The device performance proved sustainable and was used to study the effect of different conditions.