09. Heat and Mass Transfer

In tropical countries like Indonesia, the high temperature and humidity levels pose significant challenges for maintaining comfortable and healthy indoor environments. This is particularly crucial for the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, where specific temperature and humidity conditions are necessary to ensure product safety and quality during processes such as beverage filling. Traditional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, while essential, are energy-intensive, contributing significantly to global energy consumption. This research paper explores the potential of integrating heat pipes into HVAC systems as a novel approach to enhance dehumidification processes and improve energy efficiency. By focusing on the tropical climate of Indonesia, this study aims to address the pressing need for more sustainable and efficient HVAC solutions that can cope with the demanding conditions while meeting health and safety standards. The research encompasses the development and testing of a prototype HVAC system incorporating heat pipes, with an emphasis on practical applications in the FMCG industry. Through this experiment, it could be inferred that the highest temperature increase on the condenser side was 6.4°C, resulting in a relative humidity reduction of 20.7%, utilizing a two-row U-shaped HPHE configuration. Under the same conditions, the temperature drop on the evaporator side was 0.7°C, achieved with an inlet air temperature of 45°C and an inlet air velocity of 1.4 m/s. The highest effectiveness observed was 21.04%, demonstrating the potential of U-shaped HPHE in improving dehumidification efficiency in HVAC systems. Heat recovery from the U-shaped HPHE was achieved with the maximum energy savings reaching 304.44 W, attained with a two-row U-shaped HPHE, an inlet air temperature on the evaporator side of 45°C, and an inlet air velocity of 2.2 m/s.