IN THIS PAGE WE HAVE INCLUDED THE HOW-TO IN SELECTING A DEHUMIDIFIER. 1) SIZE SELECTION for SMALL DEHUMIDIFIER 2) CALCULATE HUMIDITY LOAD by ENGINEERING METHOD 3) SELECTION OF DEHUMIDIFIER AFTER KNOWING THE HUMIDITY LOAD 4) HOW CALCULATING HUMIDITY LOAD We have chosen the usage of SI units for easy conversion. In calculating moisture load, Absolute Humidity is the basis used and not Relative Humidity. Please also refer to the Psychometric Chart for various values referenced. Absolute Humidity is measured in terms of g/kg of air at 1.2 kg/cu. meter. That is, the weight of water molecules in a kg of dry air at the density of 1.2 kg/cu.meter. 1) SIZE SELECTION OF SMALL DEHUMIDIFIER BY RULE OF THUMB METHOD.

Just for the interest of non-technical users, we will provide the rule of thumb sizing for those who are interested mainly in the small portable units. a) A 12 L/day unit is able to keep a 150 sq ft x 8 ft (14 sq meter x 2.4 m) space at 55% RH. b) A 16 L/day unit is able to keep a 200 sq ft x 8 ft (19 sq meter x 2.4 m ) space at 55% RH. 55% RH is a general minimum requirement for most low level storage. For lower RH level like 45-50% RH control, reduce the space by 30-35% by floor area. If one unit is too small, go for 2 units, or use the 30-45 L/day ( Note: the above sizing is based on an unventilated room. Room with central air conditioning or exhaust is generally difficult to estimate as the volume of Ventilation Air creates a very high humidity load.

2) CALCULATING HUMIDITY LOAD BY ENGINEERING METHOD

For a more ACCURATE selection, we have the following: In this exercise, we have included the 3 biggest factors that contribute to the humidity load. There are a lot more other factors that contribute to the moisture load but they may need some expertise to understand and calculate. A more stringent formula is needed for low humidity application below 40% RH or low temperature (below 15 deg C ). This is done only by trained engineers. Total load will be sum of all the 3 following factors.

There are 3 main factors are:

1) INFILTRATION

2) HUMAN LOAD

3) VENTILATION

1) INFILTRATION is the average air that can come in through the walls and cracks. It is directly proportional to the difference between the indoor and outdoor Humidity, and the size of the space. Stringently, it is proportional to the areas of the 4 walls plus ceiling and floor. But to simplify the formula, total space volume is used instead, with an additional K-factor in the attached tables.

INFILTRATION LOAD (L/hour) = (H out - H in ) x 0.0012 x Space Volume x K-factor

H out is the Absolute Humidity in g/kg of the surrounding or outdoor air. H in is the Absolute Humidity in g/kg of the space to be dried. 0.0012 is the density of air. Space Volume is the volume of the space, height x width x length in cubit meter. K-factor is the factor that converts the volume into surface area of exposure.

K-factor table

SPACE LESS THAN K-Factor

80 CUBIT METER 0,5

200 CUBIT METER 0,4

400 CUBIT METER 0,35

600 CUBIT METER 0,3

1000 CUBIT METER 0,27

2000 CUBIT METER 0,23

3000 CUBIT METER 0,21

4000 CUBIT METER 0,19

5000 CUBIT METER 0,18

Example : A space of 20 x 10 x 10 meter space. Outdoor 30 deg C 70% RH. Required condition is 23 deg C 50% RH. Calculate the infiltration load.

The first step is to convert the condition to absolute humidity in g/kg. Outdoor 30 deg C 70% RH = 18.5 g/kg (Absolute Humidity) Space 23 deg C 50% RH = 8.6 g/kg (Absolute Humidity)

P-factor : is a basic offset for differential value between the H out and H in; the higher the differential, the greater the P-factor. It is found that the greater the difference between H out and H in, the greater the vapour pressure has its effect in pushing the moisture through a wall. It is added into the formula to improve the offset in the form of a mathematical division.

P-factor = (H out - H in) / 11.5

INFILTRATION = (H out - H in) x 0.0012 x Space Volume x K-factor x P-factor INFILTRATION = ( 18.5-8.6 ) x 0.0012 x 2000 x 0.23 x 0.86 = 4.7 L/hr i.e. there is 4.7 Litre of water getting into the space every hour.

2) HUMAN LOAD - This is a simple load based on estimation of human activities and H-factor ( human activity level )

HUMAN LOAD ( L/hr ) = Number of people x H-factor x 0.065

H-Factor Table

PASSIVE, OFFICE WORK 2,0

SOME MEASURE OF MOVEMENT 2.5

HEAVY LABOUR / EXERCISE 3,0

3) VENTILATION - This is the estimate of the exhaust air or fresh air volume entering the room. Fresh air is needed for human being. Each person requires an estimate of 20 CMH of fresh air. Door opening is another cause for ventilation. Every time the door opens it adds to the fresh air intake and should be part of this formula.

VENTILATION LOAD ( L/hr)= AIR INTAKE (CMH) x (H out - H in ) x 0.0012

where H out - H in are similarly defined as in INFILTRATION LOAD.

DOOR OPENING LOAD / DOOR LOAD Door opening can be considered as part of the Ventilation Load as it introduces air into the room each time a door is opened. It is measured as the added quantity of AIR INTAKE (CMH) in Ventilation Load.

DOOR LOAD (CMH) = AREA OF DOOR (sq. meter ) x 3 x time(sec) door stayed opened x No. of openings/Hr

e.g. A 5 sq.meter door opens 2 times per hour, each time stayed opened for 6 seconds is equal to = 5 x 3 x 6 x 2 = 180 CMH ventilation air. Note: The initial condition of the untreated space is usually just a good indication of the "wetness level" and is NOT part of the Moisture Load calculation Formula.

3) SELECTION OF DEHUMIDIFIER AFTER CALCULATING THE LOAD IN L/Hr

Most of the Dehumidifiers catalogues have some values indicated like 16L/day or 12 L/day. These values are indicative of the capacity of the dehumidifiers. Because different manufacturers use a different condition to measure this value, there is always confusion in selection.

For example: Unit "A" with 15 L/day at 85% RH 33 deg C may be smaller in capacity than unit "B" which states a 12 L/day capacity at 70% RH26 deg C. You may ask," That's confusing! "Yes, it is !

The reason is that the Dehumidifiers have different capacity at different temperature and humidity. To simplify the description, a specified condition like 80% RH 30 deg C is the standard reference for most brands.

However, the better systems usually have another reference point like 27 deg C 60% RH or 55% RH 25 deg C etc. intermediate value as midpoint reference. This middle values are the real functioning range of the Dehumidifier/DH as we usually want to keep the room at lower RH than 80%. Some industrial systems come with a performance curve chart.

Example:

'CAPACITY CURVE OF MODEL

"X"

A room that need to be dehumidified to 50% RH at 25 Deg C, and have a humidity load of 0,125 L/hour (3 L/day) based on the method of calculation recommended above.

Model X has a capacity of 3,75 L/day at 50% RH at 25 Deg C is the nearest choice.

Model X however, is advertised rightfully as having 12.5 L/day capacity at 30 deg C 80% RH.

From this exercise, we can see that the graph is very crucial in a proper way of selection.

The above method applies to condensation type of dehumidifier selection for between 40% and 65% RH control level. It is a general rule of thumb method. it is not applicable to centralized ducted air con system. For Desiccant dehumidifier selection, various manufacturers have different methods of selection as desiccant dehumidifiers have a more complicated performance curve.