Experimental Assessment of a Hollow-Fiber Membrane Humidifier for Residential Heating Applications

초록

Hollow-fiber membrane technology has gained attention as an efficient humidification system, given that it enables sanitary humidification with indirect air-water contact. This study proposes a membrane humidifier suitable for residential applications, that operates without a circulation pump. The water is supplied to the system using the pressure from the tap water line, thereby reducing both energy consumption and the space required for a circulation pump. The proposed system was validated for its operational workability through chamber experiment, under residential indoor air conditions achieving a maximum humidification rate of approximately 0.37kg/h. Furthermore, given that the indoor environmental conditions and the tap water line pressure differ across households, a parametric study was carried out to evaluate the variation in humidification performance with respect to temperature, humidity, and water pressure. Especially pressure increase from 0.05 bar to 0.15 bar leads to the remarkably enhanced humidification, which increased by about 40%. The experimental results demonstrated that water pressure and temperature exerted a significant influence on the humidification performance indicating its applicable to residential apartment buildings, enabling energy-efficient sanitary humidity control.

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