Desiccants and Dehumidification

Selected Projects:

Field Evaluation of a Desiccant System in a Florida Hotel -

Gas Research Institute

We field monitored a hotel near Naples, FL that has desiccant units installed to precondition fresh air that is introduced into the hallways.   Monitoring also included a nearly identical base case hotel in Bonita Springs.  We Monitored desiccant system energy use as well as space conditions in more than a dozen areas throughout each hotel.   DAS used traditional data loggers as well as low cost battery-power loggers.  The roject goals were to assess the impact of desiccant technology on indoor air quality (IAQ) and quantify energy impacts.

Field Evaluation of a Desiccant System in an Elementary School -

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Gas Research Institute

We field monitored an elementary school near Kansas City with a desiccant unit installed to dehumidify and pre-treat ventilation air.  Monitoring included energy use and indoor conditions in a classroom area with the desiccant unit installed as well as in an identical “base case” classroom area.  DAS incuded more than 100 data points to compare system performance, quantify savings compared to other technologies, and assess the impact of desiccant technology on indoor air quality (IAQ).

 Assessment of Desiccant Technologies -

Brooklyn Union

We assessed the potential of desiccant technologies by developing hourly building simulation models with TRNSYS. We developed models of both desiccant and conventional HVAC equipment and incorporated these components into building models. The study evaluated several typical commercial building applications as well as supermarkets and residential applications. Component models were developed for several commercially available desiccant systems, as well as for competing dehumidification technologies. Various equipment configuration options and issues were evaluated.

Laboratory Test of a Desiccant Unit at ETL -

	Brooklyn Union
	We worked worked with ETL Laboratories in Cortland, NY to test a commercially available desiccant unit. We developed test procedures, directed testing efforts, and analyzed and presented the test results.

Demonstration of a Gas-Fired Desiccant Cooling System -

Niagara Mohawk Gas

We evaluated the performance of a commercially avialable desiccant system installed to proved pretreated makeup air on a Burger King restaurant in Upstate New York. A data acquisition system (DAS) was installed to collect detailed performance data on the gas-fired desiccant unit as well as the other HVAC equipment installed at the store. Space temperature and humidity were also measured to assess system operation.

Field Demonstration of an All-Electric Desiccant Unit -

	Empire State Electric Energy Research Corporation
	We field monitored two all-electric desiccant systems installed in different restuarant applications in New York State. In both applications, the hybrid desiccant/vapor-compression system provided ventilation air to the dining area. A data acquisition system (DAS) was installed to collect detailed data on the desiccant system and its sub-components.

See our section on supermarkets for more information on other dehumidification projects.