| Abstract: | This paper describes an experimental study on a method of removing aerosol particles from air by condensing heated and humidified air. In the experiment, air, including aerosol particles, is circulated by a fan in a closed clean room system consisting of a closed vessel, a humidifier, two condensers, and an after-heater. The concentration of aerosol particles at the inlet of the closed vessel, the relative humidity, and the temperature in the system are measured for several humidification and condensation conditions. We find that the removal rate of aerosol particles in air increases when the mass flow rate of the condensate increases, by means of enlarging the temperature difference between the heating water in the humidifier and the cooling water in the condensers. We also show that this method is more effective when the temperature level in the humidifier is increased. The aerosol particle removal mechanism of this method is considered to be related to the generation of mist using aerosol particles as nuclei, inertia trapping, and the suction effect of condensation. © 1998 Scripta Technica. Heat Trans Jpn Res, 26(6): 398–409, 1997 |
