Kyaw Thu - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Kyaw Thu

Desalination and Water Treatment, 2010

This paper presents the thermo-economic analysis of the adsorption desalination (AD) cycle that i... more This paper presents the thermo-economic analysis of the adsorption desalination (AD) cycle that is driven by low-temperature waste heat from exhaust of industrial processes or renewable sources. The AD cycle uses an adsorbent such as the silica gel to desalt the sea or brackish water. Based on an experimental prototype AD plant, the life-cycle cost analysis of AD plants of assorted water production capacities has been simulated and these predictions are translated into unit cost of water production. Our results show that the specific energy consumption of the AD cycle is 1.38 kWh/m3 which is the lowest ever reported. For a plant capacity of 1000 m3/d, the AD cycle offers a unit cost of 0.457/m3ascomparedtomorethan0.457/m3 as compared to more than 0.457/m3ascomparedtomorethan0.9 for the average RO plants. Besides being cost-effective, the AD cycle is also environment-friendly as it emits less CO2 emission per m3 generated, typically 85% less, by comparison to an RO process.

Volume 4: Energy Systems Analysis, Thermodynamics and Sustainability; Combustion Science and Engineering; Nanoengineering for Energy, Parts A and B, 2011

ABSTRACT We have developed a thermodynamic framework to calculate adsorption cooling cum desalina... more ABSTRACT We have developed a thermodynamic framework to calculate adsorption cooling cum desalination cycle performances as a function of pore widths and pore volumes of highly porous adsorbents, which are formulated from the rigor of thermodynamic property surfaces of adsorbent-adsorbate system and the adsorption interaction potential between them. Employing the proposed formulations, the coefficient of performance (COP) and overall performance ratio (OPR) of adsorption cycle are computed for various pore widths of solid adsorbents. These results are compared with experimental data for verifying the proposed thermodynamic formulations. It is found from the present analysis that the COP and OPR of adsorption cooling cum desalination cycle is influenced by (i) the physical characteristics of adsorbents, (ii) characteristics energy and (iii) the surface-structural heterogeneity factor of adsorbent-water system. The present study confirms that there exists a special type of adsorbents having optimal physical characteristics that allows us to obtain the best performance.

Applied Thermal Engineering, 2014

ABSTRACT The modeling of the adsorption isotherms and kinetics of the adsorbent + adsorbate pair ... more ABSTRACT The modeling of the adsorption isotherms and kinetics of the adsorbent + adsorbate pair is essential in simulating the performance of a pressurized adsorption chiller. In this work, the adsorption kinetics is analyzed from data measured using a magnetic suspension balance. The Statistical Rate Theory describes the Dubinin-Astakhov (DA) equation and extended to obtain an expression for transient analysis. Hence both the experimental excess equilibria data and the adsorption kinetics data may then be fitted to obtain the necessary parameters to fit the curves. The results fit the data very well within 6% of the error of regression.

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Innovative Materials for Processes in Energy Systems 2010, 2010

Lior/Advances in Water Desalination, 2012

Applied Thermal Engineering, 2014

Desalination, 2014

ABSTRACT The adsorption characteristics of microporous ferroaluminophosphate adsorbent (FAM-Z01, ... more ABSTRACT The adsorption characteristics of microporous ferroaluminophosphate adsorbent (FAM-Z01, Mitsubishi Plastics) are evaluated for possible application in adsorption desalination and cooling (AD) cycles. A particular interest is its water vapor uptake behavior at assorted adsorption temperatures and pressures whilst comparing them to the commercial silica gels of AD plants. The surface characteristics are first carried out using N2 gas adsorption followed by the water vapor uptake analysis for temperature ranging from 20 °C to 80 °C. We propose a hybrid isotherm model, composing of the Henry and the Sips isotherms, which can be integrated to satisfactorily fit the experimental data of water adsorption on the FAM-Z01. The hybrid model is selected to fit the unusual isotherm shapes, that is, a low adsorption in the initial section and followed by a rapid vapor uptake leading to a likely micropore volume filling by hydrogen bonding and cooperative interaction in micropores. It is shown that the equilibrium adsorption capacity of FAM-Z01 can be up to 5 folds higher than that of conventional silica gels. Owing to the quantum increase in the adsorbate uptake, the FAM-Z01 has the potential to significantly reduce the footprint of an existing AD plant for the same output capacity.

ABSTRACT This paper presents the performance investigation of a cogeneration plant equipped with ... more ABSTRACT This paper presents the performance investigation of a cogeneration plant equipped with an efficient waste heat recovery system. The proposed cogeneration system produces four types of useful energy namely: (i) electricity, (ii) steam, (iii) cooling and (iv) dehumidification. The proposed plant comprises a Capstone C30 micro-turbine which generates 24 kW of electricity, a compact and efficient waste heat recovery system and a host of waste heat activated devices namely (i) a steam generator, (ii) an absorption chiller, (iii) an adsorption chiller and (iv) a multi-bed desiccant dehumidifier. The numerical analysis for the host of waste heat recovery system and thermally activated devices using FORTRAN power station linked to powerful IMSL library is performed to investigate the performance of the overall system. A set of experiments, both part load and full load, of micro-turbine is conducted to examine the electricity generation and the exhaust gas temperature. It is observed that energy utilization factor (EUF) could achieve as high as 70% while Fuel Energy Saving Ratio (FESR) is found to be 28%.

ABSTRACT This paper presents an investigation of heat transfer correlation in a falling-film evap... more ABSTRACT This paper presents an investigation of heat transfer correlation in a falling-film evaporator working with saline water at sub-atmospheric pressures. The experiments are conducted at different salinity levels ranging from 15000 to 90000 ppm, and the pressures were maintained between 0.92 to 2.81 kPa (corresponds to saturation temperatures of 5.9 - 23 0C). The effect of salinity, saturation pressures and chilled water temperatures on the heat transfer coefficient are accounted in the modified film evaporation correlations. The results are fitted to the Han & Fletcher's and Chun & Seban's falling-film correlations which are used in desalination industry. We modify the said correlations by adding salinity and saturation temperature corrections with respective indices to give a better agreement to our measured data.

International Journal of Refrigeration-revue Internationale Du Froid, 2000

This article presents the performance analysis of a waste heat-driven adsorption cycle. With the ... more This article presents the performance analysis of a waste heat-driven adsorption cycle. With the implementation of adsorption–desorption phenomena, the cycle simultaneously produces cooling energy and high-grade potable water. A mathematical model is developed using isotherm characteristics of the adsorbent/adsorbate pair (silica gel and water), energy and mass balances for the each component of the cycle. The cycle is analyzed using key performance parameters namely (i) specific cooling power (SCP), (ii) specific daily water production (SDWP), (iii) the coefficient of performance (COP) and (iv) the overall conversion ratio (OCR). The numerical results of the adsorption cycle are validated using experimental data. The parametric analysis using different hot and chilled water temperatures are reported. At 85 °C hot water inlet temperature, the cycle generates 3.6 m3 of potable water and 23 Rton of cooling at the produced chilled water temperature of 10 °C.

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2000

This paper presents the results of an investigation on the efficacy of a silica gel–water based a... more This paper presents the results of an investigation on the efficacy of a silica gel–water based advanced adsorption desalination (AD) cycle with internal heat recovery between the condenser and the evaporator. A mathematical model of the AD cycle was developed and the performance data were compared with the experimental results. The advanced AD cycle is able to produce the specific daily water production (SDWP) of 9.24 m3/tonne of silica gel per day at 70 °C hot water inlet temperature while the corresponding performance ratio (PR) is comparatively high at 0.77. It is found that the cycle can be operational at 50 °C hot water temperature with SDWP 4.3. The SDWP of the advanced cycle is almost twice that of the conventional AD cycle.

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2009

This paper presents the performances of an adsorption desalination (AD) system in two-bed and fou... more This paper presents the performances of an adsorption desalination (AD) system in two-bed and four-bed operational modes. The tested results are calculated in terms of key performance parameters namely, (i) specific daily water production (SDWP), (ii) cycle time, and (iii) performance ratio (PR) for various heat source temperatures, mass flow rates, cycle times along with a fixed heat sink temperature. The optimum input parameters such as driving heat source and cycle time of the AD cycle are also evaluated. It is found from the present experimental data that the maximum potable water production per tonne of adsorbent (silica gel) per day is about 10 m3 whilst the corresponding performance ratio is 0.61, and a longer cycle time is required to achieve maximum water production at lower heat source temperatures. This paper also provides a useful guideline for the operational strategy of the AD cycle.

International Journal of Low-carbon Technologies, 2009

This paper investigates the performance of a solar-assisted adsorption (AD) cycle which produces ... more This paper investigates the performance of a solar-assisted adsorption (AD) cycle which produces two useful effects, namely cooling and desalination, with only a low-temperature heat input such as thermal energy from solar collectors. Heat sources varying from 65 to 808C can be obtained from 215-m 2 flat plate-type solar collectors to regenerate the proposed silica gel -water-based AD cycle. In this paper, both mathematical modelling and experimental results from the AD cycle operation are discussed, in terms of two key parameters, namely specific daily water production (SDWP) and specific cooling capacity (SCC). The experimental results show that the AD cycle is capable of producing chilled water at 7 to 108C with varying SCC range of 25 -35 Rton/tonne of silica gel. Simultaneously, the AD cycle produces a SDWP of 3-5 m 3 per tonne of silica gel per day, rendering it as a dual-effect machine that has an overall conversion or performance ratio of 0.8 -1.1.

Langmuir, 2013

This Article presents a theoretical framework for the understanding of pressurized adsorption sys... more This Article presents a theoretical framework for the understanding of pressurized adsorption systems using the statistical rate methodology. Utilizing results from the statistical rate theory, basic thermodynamic variables including enthalpy (h(a)), entropy (s(a)), and the specific heat capacity (c(p,a)) of the adsorbed phase are derived using the thermodynamic requirements of chemical equilibrium, Gibbs law, as well as Maxwell relations. A built-in constant (K) describes the adsorbed molecular partition function (q(s)), and it captures the heterogeneous properties of the adsorbent + adsorbate pair at equilibrium states. Improved adsorbed-phase volume considerations were incorporated in the formulations of these variables where they could be utilized with relative ease for analyzing the energetic performances of any practical adsorption system. In this Article, we have demonstrated how derived thermodynamic quantities can bridge the information gap with respect to the states of adsorbed phase, as well as resolved some theoretical inconsistencies that were found in previously derived quantities. Experimentally, the adsorption isotherms of propane (refrigerant) on activated carbon powder (Maxsorb III) for temperatures from 5 to 75 °C and pressures up to 8 bar are presented, and they are used to illustrate the behaviors of the adsorbed-phase during uptakes, temperatures, and pressure excursions or changes.

Journal of Membrane Science, 2013

This paper presents a solar-assisted direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system with nove... more This paper presents a solar-assisted direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system with novel energy recovery concepts for a continuous 24-h-a-day operation. A temperature modulating scheme is introduced to the solar-thermal system that supplies feed seawater to the DCMD modules. This scheme attenuates extreme temperature fluctuations of the feed water by storing the collected energy during solar-peak hours and reutilizing it throughout the day. Thus, the energy savings is realized yet the feed seawater temperature is maintained within the desired range. Additionally, the system employs heat recovery from the permeate and brine streams to the feed seawater. The simulations for such a system with a shell-and-tube type DCMD modules are carried out to examine the spatial property variations and the sensitivity of system performance (i.e., transmembrane pressure, permeate flux and performance ratio) to the operating conditions (inlet temperature and flow rate) and the fiber dimensions (fiber length and packing density). It is found that there are trade-offs between mean permeate flux and performance ratio with respect to permeate inlet temperature and flow rate and between total distillate production and performance ratio with respect to packing density. For the solar-assisted DCMD system having evacuated-tube collectors of 3360 m 2 with 160 m 3 seawater storage tanks and 50 DCMD modules, the annual solar fraction and the collector efficiency are found to be 77% and 53%, respectively, whilst the overall permeate production capacity is 31 m 3 /day. The overall specific thermal energy consumption of the DCMD system with heat recovery is found to be 436 kWh/m 3 and it is about 43% lower as compared to the system without heat recovery. It is observed that the specific thermal energy consumption decreases significantly by 55% with increased collector area from 1983 m 2 to 3360 m 2 whereas the specific electrical energy consumption increases slightly by 16%.

Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 2011

Fang, D.-w.; Gu, X.-j.; Xiong, Y.; Yue, S.; Li, J.; Zang. S.-l. J. Chem. Eng. Data2010, 55, 424−4... more Fang, D.-w.; Gu, X.-j.; Xiong, Y.; Yue, S.; Li, J.; Zang. S.-l. J. Chem. Eng. Data2010, 55, 424−427) and "Studies on Solvent Extraction of Perrhenate with Trialkylamine by Debye−Huckel and Pitzer Equations" (Fang, D.-w.; Gu, X.-j.; Xiong, Y.; Shan, W.-j.; Zang, S.-l.

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2013

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the analysis of an adsorption (AD) chiller using system entropy gen... more ABSTRACT This paper discusses the analysis of an adsorption (AD) chiller using system entropy generation as a thermodynamic framework for evaluating total dissipative losses that occurred in a batch-operated AD cycle. The study focuses on an adsorption cycle operating at heat source temperatures ranging from 60 to 85 °C, whilst the chilled water inlet temperature is fixed at 12.5 °C, – a temperature of chilled water deemed useful for dehumidification and cooling. The total entropy generation model examines the processes of key components of the AD chiller such as the heat and mass transfer, flushing and de-superheating of liquid refrigerant. The following key findings are observed: (i) The cycle entropy generation increases with the increase in the heat source temperature (10.8 to 46.2 W/K) and the largest share of entropy generation or rate of energy dissipation occurs at the adsorption process, (ii) the second highest energy rate dissipation is the desorption process, (iii) the remaining energy dissipation rates are the evaporation and condensation processes, respectively. Some of the noteworthy highlights from the study are the inevitable but significant dissipative losses found in switching processes of adsorption-desorption and vice versa, as well as the de-superheating of warm condensate that is refluxed at non-thermal equilibrium conditions from the condenser to the evaporator for the completion of the refrigeration cycle.

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2013

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the performance analysis of an advanced adsorption desalination (AD... more ABSTRACT This paper discusses the performance analysis of an advanced adsorption desalination (AD) cycle with an internal heat recovery between the condenser and the evaporator. The AD cycle employs the adsorption-desorption principles to convert sea or brackish water into high-grade potable water with total dissolved solids (TDS) less than 10 ppm (mg/L) utilizing low-temperature heat source. The salient features of the AD cycle are the utilization of low temperature waste heat (typically 55 degrees C to 85 degrees C) with the employment of an environment-friendly silica gel/water pair and the low maintenance as it has no major moving parts other than the pumps and valves. For improved performance of the AD pilot plant, the internal heat recovery scheme between the condenser and evaporator has been implemented with a run-about water circuit between them. The efficacy of the scheme is analyzed in terms of key performance indicators such as the specific daily water production (SDWP) and the performance ratio (PR). Extensive experiments were performed for assorted heat source temperatures ranging from 70 degrees C to 50 degrees C. From the experiments, the SDWP of the AD cycle with the proposed heat recovery scheme is found to be 15 m(3) of water per ton of silica gel that is almost twice that of the yield obtained by a conventional AD cycle for the same operation conditions. Another important finding of AD desalination plant is that the advanced AD cycle could still be operational with an inlet heat source temperature of 50 degrees C and yet achieving a SDWP of 4.3 m(3) - a feat that never seen by any heat-driven cycles.

Desalination and Water Treatment, 2010

This paper presents the thermo-economic analysis of the adsorption desalination (AD) cycle that i... more This paper presents the thermo-economic analysis of the adsorption desalination (AD) cycle that is driven by low-temperature waste heat from exhaust of industrial processes or renewable sources. The AD cycle uses an adsorbent such as the silica gel to desalt the sea or brackish water. Based on an experimental prototype AD plant, the life-cycle cost analysis of AD plants of assorted water production capacities has been simulated and these predictions are translated into unit cost of water production. Our results show that the specific energy consumption of the AD cycle is 1.38 kWh/m3 which is the lowest ever reported. For a plant capacity of 1000 m3/d, the AD cycle offers a unit cost of 0.457/m3ascomparedtomorethan0.457/m3 as compared to more than 0.457/m3ascomparedtomorethan0.9 for the average RO plants. Besides being cost-effective, the AD cycle is also environment-friendly as it emits less CO2 emission per m3 generated, typically 85% less, by comparison to an RO process.

Volume 4: Energy Systems Analysis, Thermodynamics and Sustainability; Combustion Science and Engineering; Nanoengineering for Energy, Parts A and B, 2011

ABSTRACT We have developed a thermodynamic framework to calculate adsorption cooling cum desalina... more ABSTRACT We have developed a thermodynamic framework to calculate adsorption cooling cum desalination cycle performances as a function of pore widths and pore volumes of highly porous adsorbents, which are formulated from the rigor of thermodynamic property surfaces of adsorbent-adsorbate system and the adsorption interaction potential between them. Employing the proposed formulations, the coefficient of performance (COP) and overall performance ratio (OPR) of adsorption cycle are computed for various pore widths of solid adsorbents. These results are compared with experimental data for verifying the proposed thermodynamic formulations. It is found from the present analysis that the COP and OPR of adsorption cooling cum desalination cycle is influenced by (i) the physical characteristics of adsorbents, (ii) characteristics energy and (iii) the surface-structural heterogeneity factor of adsorbent-water system. The present study confirms that there exists a special type of adsorbents having optimal physical characteristics that allows us to obtain the best performance.

Applied Thermal Engineering, 2014

ABSTRACT The modeling of the adsorption isotherms and kinetics of the adsorbent + adsorbate pair ... more ABSTRACT The modeling of the adsorption isotherms and kinetics of the adsorbent + adsorbate pair is essential in simulating the performance of a pressurized adsorption chiller. In this work, the adsorption kinetics is analyzed from data measured using a magnetic suspension balance. The Statistical Rate Theory describes the Dubinin-Astakhov (DA) equation and extended to obtain an expression for transient analysis. Hence both the experimental excess equilibria data and the adsorption kinetics data may then be fitted to obtain the necessary parameters to fit the curves. The results fit the data very well within 6% of the error of regression.

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Innovative Materials for Processes in Energy Systems 2010, 2010

Lior/Advances in Water Desalination, 2012

Applied Thermal Engineering, 2014

Desalination, 2014

ABSTRACT The adsorption characteristics of microporous ferroaluminophosphate adsorbent (FAM-Z01, ... more ABSTRACT The adsorption characteristics of microporous ferroaluminophosphate adsorbent (FAM-Z01, Mitsubishi Plastics) are evaluated for possible application in adsorption desalination and cooling (AD) cycles. A particular interest is its water vapor uptake behavior at assorted adsorption temperatures and pressures whilst comparing them to the commercial silica gels of AD plants. The surface characteristics are first carried out using N2 gas adsorption followed by the water vapor uptake analysis for temperature ranging from 20 °C to 80 °C. We propose a hybrid isotherm model, composing of the Henry and the Sips isotherms, which can be integrated to satisfactorily fit the experimental data of water adsorption on the FAM-Z01. The hybrid model is selected to fit the unusual isotherm shapes, that is, a low adsorption in the initial section and followed by a rapid vapor uptake leading to a likely micropore volume filling by hydrogen bonding and cooperative interaction in micropores. It is shown that the equilibrium adsorption capacity of FAM-Z01 can be up to 5 folds higher than that of conventional silica gels. Owing to the quantum increase in the adsorbate uptake, the FAM-Z01 has the potential to significantly reduce the footprint of an existing AD plant for the same output capacity.

ABSTRACT This paper presents the performance investigation of a cogeneration plant equipped with ... more ABSTRACT This paper presents the performance investigation of a cogeneration plant equipped with an efficient waste heat recovery system. The proposed cogeneration system produces four types of useful energy namely: (i) electricity, (ii) steam, (iii) cooling and (iv) dehumidification. The proposed plant comprises a Capstone C30 micro-turbine which generates 24 kW of electricity, a compact and efficient waste heat recovery system and a host of waste heat activated devices namely (i) a steam generator, (ii) an absorption chiller, (iii) an adsorption chiller and (iv) a multi-bed desiccant dehumidifier. The numerical analysis for the host of waste heat recovery system and thermally activated devices using FORTRAN power station linked to powerful IMSL library is performed to investigate the performance of the overall system. A set of experiments, both part load and full load, of micro-turbine is conducted to examine the electricity generation and the exhaust gas temperature. It is observed that energy utilization factor (EUF) could achieve as high as 70% while Fuel Energy Saving Ratio (FESR) is found to be 28%.

ABSTRACT This paper presents an investigation of heat transfer correlation in a falling-film evap... more ABSTRACT This paper presents an investigation of heat transfer correlation in a falling-film evaporator working with saline water at sub-atmospheric pressures. The experiments are conducted at different salinity levels ranging from 15000 to 90000 ppm, and the pressures were maintained between 0.92 to 2.81 kPa (corresponds to saturation temperatures of 5.9 - 23 0C). The effect of salinity, saturation pressures and chilled water temperatures on the heat transfer coefficient are accounted in the modified film evaporation correlations. The results are fitted to the Han & Fletcher's and Chun & Seban's falling-film correlations which are used in desalination industry. We modify the said correlations by adding salinity and saturation temperature corrections with respective indices to give a better agreement to our measured data.

International Journal of Refrigeration-revue Internationale Du Froid, 2000

This article presents the performance analysis of a waste heat-driven adsorption cycle. With the ... more This article presents the performance analysis of a waste heat-driven adsorption cycle. With the implementation of adsorption–desorption phenomena, the cycle simultaneously produces cooling energy and high-grade potable water. A mathematical model is developed using isotherm characteristics of the adsorbent/adsorbate pair (silica gel and water), energy and mass balances for the each component of the cycle. The cycle is analyzed using key performance parameters namely (i) specific cooling power (SCP), (ii) specific daily water production (SDWP), (iii) the coefficient of performance (COP) and (iv) the overall conversion ratio (OCR). The numerical results of the adsorption cycle are validated using experimental data. The parametric analysis using different hot and chilled water temperatures are reported. At 85 °C hot water inlet temperature, the cycle generates 3.6 m3 of potable water and 23 Rton of cooling at the produced chilled water temperature of 10 °C.

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2000

This paper presents the results of an investigation on the efficacy of a silica gel–water based a... more This paper presents the results of an investigation on the efficacy of a silica gel–water based advanced adsorption desalination (AD) cycle with internal heat recovery between the condenser and the evaporator. A mathematical model of the AD cycle was developed and the performance data were compared with the experimental results. The advanced AD cycle is able to produce the specific daily water production (SDWP) of 9.24 m3/tonne of silica gel per day at 70 °C hot water inlet temperature while the corresponding performance ratio (PR) is comparatively high at 0.77. It is found that the cycle can be operational at 50 °C hot water temperature with SDWP 4.3. The SDWP of the advanced cycle is almost twice that of the conventional AD cycle.

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2009

This paper presents the performances of an adsorption desalination (AD) system in two-bed and fou... more This paper presents the performances of an adsorption desalination (AD) system in two-bed and four-bed operational modes. The tested results are calculated in terms of key performance parameters namely, (i) specific daily water production (SDWP), (ii) cycle time, and (iii) performance ratio (PR) for various heat source temperatures, mass flow rates, cycle times along with a fixed heat sink temperature. The optimum input parameters such as driving heat source and cycle time of the AD cycle are also evaluated. It is found from the present experimental data that the maximum potable water production per tonne of adsorbent (silica gel) per day is about 10 m3 whilst the corresponding performance ratio is 0.61, and a longer cycle time is required to achieve maximum water production at lower heat source temperatures. This paper also provides a useful guideline for the operational strategy of the AD cycle.

International Journal of Low-carbon Technologies, 2009

This paper investigates the performance of a solar-assisted adsorption (AD) cycle which produces ... more This paper investigates the performance of a solar-assisted adsorption (AD) cycle which produces two useful effects, namely cooling and desalination, with only a low-temperature heat input such as thermal energy from solar collectors. Heat sources varying from 65 to 808C can be obtained from 215-m 2 flat plate-type solar collectors to regenerate the proposed silica gel -water-based AD cycle. In this paper, both mathematical modelling and experimental results from the AD cycle operation are discussed, in terms of two key parameters, namely specific daily water production (SDWP) and specific cooling capacity (SCC). The experimental results show that the AD cycle is capable of producing chilled water at 7 to 108C with varying SCC range of 25 -35 Rton/tonne of silica gel. Simultaneously, the AD cycle produces a SDWP of 3-5 m 3 per tonne of silica gel per day, rendering it as a dual-effect machine that has an overall conversion or performance ratio of 0.8 -1.1.

Langmuir, 2013

This Article presents a theoretical framework for the understanding of pressurized adsorption sys... more This Article presents a theoretical framework for the understanding of pressurized adsorption systems using the statistical rate methodology. Utilizing results from the statistical rate theory, basic thermodynamic variables including enthalpy (h(a)), entropy (s(a)), and the specific heat capacity (c(p,a)) of the adsorbed phase are derived using the thermodynamic requirements of chemical equilibrium, Gibbs law, as well as Maxwell relations. A built-in constant (K) describes the adsorbed molecular partition function (q(s)), and it captures the heterogeneous properties of the adsorbent + adsorbate pair at equilibrium states. Improved adsorbed-phase volume considerations were incorporated in the formulations of these variables where they could be utilized with relative ease for analyzing the energetic performances of any practical adsorption system. In this Article, we have demonstrated how derived thermodynamic quantities can bridge the information gap with respect to the states of adsorbed phase, as well as resolved some theoretical inconsistencies that were found in previously derived quantities. Experimentally, the adsorption isotherms of propane (refrigerant) on activated carbon powder (Maxsorb III) for temperatures from 5 to 75 °C and pressures up to 8 bar are presented, and they are used to illustrate the behaviors of the adsorbed-phase during uptakes, temperatures, and pressure excursions or changes.

Journal of Membrane Science, 2013

This paper presents a solar-assisted direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system with nove... more This paper presents a solar-assisted direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system with novel energy recovery concepts for a continuous 24-h-a-day operation. A temperature modulating scheme is introduced to the solar-thermal system that supplies feed seawater to the DCMD modules. This scheme attenuates extreme temperature fluctuations of the feed water by storing the collected energy during solar-peak hours and reutilizing it throughout the day. Thus, the energy savings is realized yet the feed seawater temperature is maintained within the desired range. Additionally, the system employs heat recovery from the permeate and brine streams to the feed seawater. The simulations for such a system with a shell-and-tube type DCMD modules are carried out to examine the spatial property variations and the sensitivity of system performance (i.e., transmembrane pressure, permeate flux and performance ratio) to the operating conditions (inlet temperature and flow rate) and the fiber dimensions (fiber length and packing density). It is found that there are trade-offs between mean permeate flux and performance ratio with respect to permeate inlet temperature and flow rate and between total distillate production and performance ratio with respect to packing density. For the solar-assisted DCMD system having evacuated-tube collectors of 3360 m 2 with 160 m 3 seawater storage tanks and 50 DCMD modules, the annual solar fraction and the collector efficiency are found to be 77% and 53%, respectively, whilst the overall permeate production capacity is 31 m 3 /day. The overall specific thermal energy consumption of the DCMD system with heat recovery is found to be 436 kWh/m 3 and it is about 43% lower as compared to the system without heat recovery. It is observed that the specific thermal energy consumption decreases significantly by 55% with increased collector area from 1983 m 2 to 3360 m 2 whereas the specific electrical energy consumption increases slightly by 16%.

Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 2011

Fang, D.-w.; Gu, X.-j.; Xiong, Y.; Yue, S.; Li, J.; Zang. S.-l. J. Chem. Eng. Data2010, 55, 424−4... more Fang, D.-w.; Gu, X.-j.; Xiong, Y.; Yue, S.; Li, J.; Zang. S.-l. J. Chem. Eng. Data2010, 55, 424−427) and "Studies on Solvent Extraction of Perrhenate with Trialkylamine by Debye−Huckel and Pitzer Equations" (Fang, D.-w.; Gu, X.-j.; Xiong, Y.; Shan, W.-j.; Zang, S.-l.

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2013

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the analysis of an adsorption (AD) chiller using system entropy gen... more ABSTRACT This paper discusses the analysis of an adsorption (AD) chiller using system entropy generation as a thermodynamic framework for evaluating total dissipative losses that occurred in a batch-operated AD cycle. The study focuses on an adsorption cycle operating at heat source temperatures ranging from 60 to 85 °C, whilst the chilled water inlet temperature is fixed at 12.5 °C, – a temperature of chilled water deemed useful for dehumidification and cooling. The total entropy generation model examines the processes of key components of the AD chiller such as the heat and mass transfer, flushing and de-superheating of liquid refrigerant. The following key findings are observed: (i) The cycle entropy generation increases with the increase in the heat source temperature (10.8 to 46.2 W/K) and the largest share of entropy generation or rate of energy dissipation occurs at the adsorption process, (ii) the second highest energy rate dissipation is the desorption process, (iii) the remaining energy dissipation rates are the evaporation and condensation processes, respectively. Some of the noteworthy highlights from the study are the inevitable but significant dissipative losses found in switching processes of adsorption-desorption and vice versa, as well as the de-superheating of warm condensate that is refluxed at non-thermal equilibrium conditions from the condenser to the evaporator for the completion of the refrigeration cycle.

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2013

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the performance analysis of an advanced adsorption desalination (AD... more ABSTRACT This paper discusses the performance analysis of an advanced adsorption desalination (AD) cycle with an internal heat recovery between the condenser and the evaporator. The AD cycle employs the adsorption-desorption principles to convert sea or brackish water into high-grade potable water with total dissolved solids (TDS) less than 10 ppm (mg/L) utilizing low-temperature heat source. The salient features of the AD cycle are the utilization of low temperature waste heat (typically 55 degrees C to 85 degrees C) with the employment of an environment-friendly silica gel/water pair and the low maintenance as it has no major moving parts other than the pumps and valves. For improved performance of the AD pilot plant, the internal heat recovery scheme between the condenser and evaporator has been implemented with a run-about water circuit between them. The efficacy of the scheme is analyzed in terms of key performance indicators such as the specific daily water production (SDWP) and the performance ratio (PR). Extensive experiments were performed for assorted heat source temperatures ranging from 70 degrees C to 50 degrees C. From the experiments, the SDWP of the AD cycle with the proposed heat recovery scheme is found to be 15 m(3) of water per ton of silica gel that is almost twice that of the yield obtained by a conventional AD cycle for the same operation conditions. Another important finding of AD desalination plant is that the advanced AD cycle could still be operational with an inlet heat source temperature of 50 degrees C and yet achieving a SDWP of 4.3 m(3) - a feat that never seen by any heat-driven cycles.