Heat and mass transfer performance of heat pipe and evaporator coupled cooling system for building dehumidification

The traditional refrigeration dehumidification air conditioner consumes energy when the cooling capacity and reheat cancel each other under the cooling condition. In this study, a heat pipe and evaporator coupled cooling experimental system was established, and heat transfer factor and mass transfer factor were used to represent the heat and mass transfer performance of the coupled cooling system. The effects of relative humidity and dry bulb temperature of inlet air on the heat and mass transfer performance of the heat pipe and evaporator were analyzed, and correlation equations of heat and mass transfer factors were developed. The results show that heat transfer factor increased and mass transfer factor decreased at the evaporation section of the heat pipe, whereas heat and mass transfer factors at the evaporator side decreased as the relative humidity of the inlet air was increased. When the dry bulb temperature of the inlet air was improved, heat transfer factor decreased and mass transfer factor increased at the evaporation section of the heat pipe, whereas heat and mass transfer factors at the evaporator side increased. The correlation equations of heat and mass transfer factors cover 100% and 92.6% experimental data, respectively within the error range of ±15%, indicating that reasonable accuracy in engineering application.