6.1) Dehumidifiers
In process industries, water is used as the cooling medium when heat exchangers are not economically viable. The water cools several process units and its heat is dissipated in a single humid cooling tower. Part of the water evaporates in the tower, removing heat from the water. Depending on location, the water consumption in large humid cooling towers in process industries and in thermoelectric power plants causes negative impacts to the environment. This research field studies the possibility of recovering part of the evaporated water through dehumidification through heat pipe technology.
Figure 1 - Cooling towers (PETROBRAS)
