Specific Design Considerations

In order to implement the use of a spray condenser in the humidification process for this IPRO, certain design considerations are inherently necessary.  First, co-current flow was decided upon, instead of crosscurrent flow. This means that the spray and vapor will be coming into contact parallel to each other from the top of the unit.  This design consideration best fits the needs of the system, as humid air is less dense than dry air and will naturally rise to the top in the air circulation.  Also, as mentioned previously, part of the cooled water will be recycled in this system and used as the spray fluid.  This recycle stream is both economical and efficient, as extra water will be unnecessary except in start up of the system.  Also, an additional heat exchanger will be needed once the humid air is condensed.  This is beneficial, as it will serve to cool the condensed water while preheating the salt water before it enters the solar cell system. These design requirements will be taken into careful consideration when designing the spray condenser.  The following parameters are the calculated end results.

Table 10: Design parameters for condenser

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Condenser Design
General Spray Condensers
Calculations and Computer Analysis