In this study, an experimental investigation is presented of a core material with irregular-shaped air flow channels for energy wheel applications. An experimental setup is established to test the performance of the material and study and analyze its characteristics. The core material has polyester wadding as the matrix and is sprayed with activated carbon as a hygroscopic material. Pores are found in the hygroscopic material attached to the fiber which contribute to the improvement of the heat exchange area between air and the material. To improve the performance of the material, it is modified by a lithium chloride solution. The test results showed that by implementing the lithium chloride modification, the hygroscopic capacity of the material can be significantly enhanced. The material latent and enthalpy efficiencies can be improved by about 10 % and 20 % at 0.5 rpm rotational speed with the action of lithium chloride at 2 % and 6 % mass concentration respectively. In addition, the efficiencies of the test material can be improved by more than 10 % by increasing its length from 38 mm to 50 mm. It is shown that the increase in the air flow rate leads to a decrease in the latent and enthalpy efficiencies. Mathematical models are used to analyze the latent efficiency of the material. Results showed that the efficiency of the modified material improved substantially at both high rotational speeds (>10 rpm) and low rotational speeds (0–10 rpm). Overall, the proposed core material offers an alternative low-cost and compact choice for energy wheel applications in air conditioning systems. The current study provides a preliminary assessment of such material and is aimed at establishing a better understanding of the promising potential in energy wheel applications.

在这项研究中，对用于能量轮应用的具有不规则形状气流通道的芯材进行了实验研究。建立了实验装置来测试材料的性能并研究和分析其特性。芯材以聚酯棉为基体，喷涂活性炭作为吸湿材料。在附着在纤维上的吸湿材料中发现了孔隙，这些孔隙有助于改善空气与材料之间的热交换面积。为了提高材料的性能，它通过氯化锂溶液进行改性。测试结果表明，通过实施氯化锂改性，可以显着提高材料的吸湿能力。在质量浓度为 2% 和 6% 的氯化锂的作用下，材料潜热效率和焓效率在 0.5 rpm 转速下可分别提高约 10% 和 20%。此外，通过将测试材料的长度从 38 mm 增加到 50 mm，可以将测试材料的效率提高 10% 以上。结果表明，空气流速的增加导致潜热效率和焓效率降低。数学模型用于分析材料的潜在效率。结果表明，改性材料的效率在高转速（> 10 rpm）和低转速（0-10 rpm）下都有显着提高。总体而言，所提出的核心材料为空调系统中的能量轮应用提供了一种替代的低成本和紧凑的选择。