| Abstract | Dry indoor environments during winter have long been recognized as a critical issue affecting human health, thermal
comfort, and workability. Active humidification is commonly adopted to mitigate these problems, yet conventional humidifiers
raise concerns regarding hygiene, energy consumption, and maintenance. Membrane-based humidification technology addresses
many of these drawbacks by enabling sanitary, indirect moisture transfer between water and air. However, conventional hollow-
fiber membrane (HFM) humidifiers typically rely on circulation pumps, which increase energy demand, installation space,
and system complexity. In this study, we experimentally assessed the performance of a hollow-fiber membrane humidifier
operated without a circulation pump, utilizing only the inherent pressure of domestic water supply during winter conditions.
A test chamber representing a residential indoor environment was employed to quantify the humidification performance under
varying water pressures, air velocities, water temperatures, and inlet air conditions. The results demonstrated that this system
provided stable humidification capacity sufficient to maintain indoor relative humidity within comfort ranges. Compared to
pump-driven systems, the design without a circulation pump eliminated additional energy use and improved spatial applicability
without compromising sanitary operation. These findings highlight the potential of hollow fiber membrane humidifiers without |
|---|
