Transient Heat and Moisture Transfer in Thin Silica Gel Beds

A numerical model has been developed to simulate the transport of heat and moisture in thin beds of microporous silica gel, assuming surface and pore volume diffusion of moisture and conduction of heat as the dominant intraparticle transport mechanisms in the desiccant. Predictions from the model have been compared with the results of single-blow tests for packed beds of silica gel from the literature and for a matrix of silica gel-coated parallel passages from this study. The model has been used to explore the significance of intraparticle diffusion resistance to heat and moisture transport in packed beds and parallel passage matrices of silica gel for different desiccant sizes and air velocities.