A manufacturer of desiccant dehumidification systems is working with the Gas Research Institute, hotel owners, and the American Hotel and Motel Association Executive Engineers Committee to solve the problem of mould, mildew, and other humidity-related problems in hotels. Buildings and furnishings can be kept dry by using a desiccant dehumidifier to remove excess humidity from the air. Dry air, in turn, removes excess moisture from the building materials and furnishings, which prevents the growth of mould and mildew. A gas-fired desiccant dehumidification system that incorporates a heat pipe is being field tested at a low-rise hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida. The system is dehumidifying the outside air since it is the source of 90% of the moisture that enters a typical hotel. The hotel has two wings. One wing is using a desiccant-based dehumidification system, while the other wing is using a direct-expansion cooling and reheating system. The preliminary results of this field test demonstrates the desiccant-based system maintains lower humidity levels and also uses less energy than a properly sized cool/reheat system. Describes the test site, instrumentation, dehumidification systems, and the results obtained for the period from November 1990 through July 1991. The test ended in November 1991.

KEYWORDS: site testing, desiccants, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, hotels, USA, tropics, subtropics, moulds, humidity, moisture, gas fired, case studies, outdoor air, direct expansion refrigeration, reheaters, comparing, calculating, dehumidifying, instruments, buildings, pressure, pressurisation, energy consumption, energy conservation