High strength, low pressure drop adsorbent wheel

In an improved system for conditioning an air stream as air is transferred to and from an air conditioned space wherein heat and/or moisture are exchanged between a first air stream and a second air stream utilizing a sensible and latent heat exchange media formed from an improved desiccant paper having higher strength and thinner gauge to provide increased area of media, the media having a multiplicity of passageways therethrough through which an air stream can flow, the improvement wherein said desiccant paper is comprised of a mixture of fibrillated and non-fibrillated fibers, the mixture comprised of:

• (a) 30 to 95 wt. % fibrillated acrylic fibers, the balance non-fibrillated fibers, the fibrillated fibers having a length in the range of 1 to 30 mm and fibrils on said fibrillated fibers have a length in the range of 0.5 to 28 mm, the non-fibrillated fibers having an average length greater than the average length of said fibrillated fibers, said fibers provided in a paper web for an improved support material having improved levels of strength;
• and
• (b) 4-A type zeolite desiccant material contained in said paper web to provide said system, said desiccant paper capable of transferring sensible heat from a warm air stream to a cool air stream as said air stream flows through said system, said desiccant material capable of adsorbing moisture from a humid air stream flowing through said system and capable of releasing said adsorbed moisture into a dry air stream flowing through said passageways of said system.

In an improved system for conditioning an air stream as air is transferred to and from an air conditioned space wherein heat and/or moisture are exchanged between a first air stream and a second air stream utilizing an improved adsorbent paper having higher strength and thinner gauge to provide increased area of media, the adsorbent paper provided in an adsorbent wheel having a multiplicity of passageways therethrough through which an air stream can flow, the improvement wherein said adsorbent paper is comprised of:

• (a) fibrillated organic fibers comprised of fiber shafts having fibrils extending therefrom, the fibrillated organic fibers provided in a paper web for an improved support material having improved levels of strength, the fibers contained in said paper web comprised of at least 30 wt. % fibrillated organic fibers, the fiber shafts having a length of 1 to 30 mm and having a diameter in the range of 1 to 50 .mu.m and said fibrils having a length in the range of 0.5 to 28 mm and a diameter in the range of 0.5 to 40 .mu.m;
• and
• (b) adsorbent material contained in said paper web to provide said improved adsorbent paper, said adsorbed paper capable of transferring sensible heat from a warm air stream to a cool air stream as said air stream flows through said passageways, said adsorbent material capable of adsorbing moisture from a humid air stream flowing through said passageways and capable of releasing said adsorbed moisture into a dry air stream flowing through said passageways.