Improving

Dehumidification in
HVAC Systems

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

Topics We’ll Cover …
ΠFull-load versus part-load
dehumidification performance
‹ Basic, constant-volume, mixed-air system

ΠWays to improve dehumidification in:

‹ Chilled-water terminal systems
‹ Single-zone unitary (DX) systems
‹ Central air-handling systems

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

constant volume, single zone
Basic Mixed-Air System
RA

space EA
T

C
OA MA SA

Control is based on space temperature

© 2005 American Standard Inc.
 Dehumidification occurs
as grains of moisture 180
are removed from the
air 80 160
, °F
e
ur 140

humidity ratio, grains/lb of dry air

t
era
p
m
te 120
b
bul 70
-
et
w 100

60 entering air 80

60
50
leaving air
40 compressor on 40

30 Grains
20
of
Moisture
0
30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

dry-bulb temperature, °F

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

basic CV system
Part-Load Operation

space
supply
sensible = 1.085 × × (Tspace – Tsupply)
airflow
load
constant same

What happens to SA dew point?

© 2005 American Standard Inc.
chilled water coil
Modulating Valve Control

coil curve

leaving air entering air

55.7°F DB 59.5°F 63.0°F 66.5°F 70.6°F 80.6°F DB
9.4 gpm 5.0 3.0 1.9 1.0

reduced water flow rate

Warmer SA dry bulb = Higher SA dew point

© 2005 American Standard Inc.
dehumidification performance
Basic CV System: Part Load
ΠBasic CV system matches sensible capacity to
sensible load

ΠLatent (dehumidification) capacity is coincidental

ΠOversizing cooling capacity will not prevent latent-

capacity shortfall, if system control is based only
on space dry-bulb temperature

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

DX coil
Cycling Compressor

leaving air entering air

compressor on compressor off

What happens at part load?

© 2005 American Standard Inc.
constant-speed fan
Cycling Compressor
30
DX air conditioner:
One compressor, cycling;
constant-speed supply fan
20
sensible
capacity, MBh

10
air continues to cool
as coil surface warms
latent
0
time delay before
condensate falls in
-10 drain pan moisture re-evaporates
from coil surface

compressor on compressor off

-20
0 20 40 60 80 100
time, minutes
Shirey, D., H. Henderson, and R. Raustad. 2003. DOE/NETL Project #DE-FC26-01NT41253
 180

80 160
, °F
e
ur 140

humidity ratio, grains/lb of dry air

t
era
p
m
te 120
b
ul 70 leaving air
-b
et compressor off
w 100

60 80
entering air
60
50 leaving air
compressor on
40 40

30
20

0
30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

dry-bulb temperature, °F

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

 Dehumidification Versus
Compressor Run-Time
no dehumidification
(sensible capacity / total capacity)

1.0
unit SHR

0.9

0.8

0.7
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
H. Hendersen. 1998. compressor run-time
DX coil
Cycling Compressor

coil curve

leaving air entering air

compressor 100% 80% 60% 40% 20%
run-time

Shorter compressor run-time = Less net dehumidification

© 2005 American Standard Inc.
basic CV system
Tips and Insights
ΠAnalyze system performance at both
full-load and part-load conditions
‹ Basic CV systems match sensible capacity to sensible load …
latent (dehumidification) capacity is coincidental
‹ Basic CV systems may not adequately limit indoor humidity
at part-load
… especially in densely occupied spaces
… and especially in humid climates
‹ Cycling compressor and modulating chilled-water valve
behave similarly at part load

ΠIndoor humidity problems can occur

in many regions

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

Topics We’ll Cover …
ΠFull-load versus part-load
dehumidification performance
‹ Basic, constant-volume, mixed-air system

ΠWays to improve dehumidification in:

‹ Chilled-water terminal systems
‹ Single-zone unitary (DX) systems
‹ Central air-handling systems

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

Chilled-Water Terminals
ΠClassroom
unit ventilators

ΠBlower-coils

ΠFan-coils

classroom unit ventilator

© 2005 American Standard Inc.
chilled-water terminal systems
Improved Dehumidification
ΠAutomatic fan-speed adjustment

ΠSupply-air tempering (reheat)

ΠDedicated conditioning of outdoor air

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

automatic fan-speed adjustment
Multiple-Speed Supply Fan
fully
open

position
of water
valve
low high

fan speed
fully
closed
0 20 40 60 80 100
cooling load, %
© 2005 American Standard Inc.
auto fan-speed adjustment
Terminal Control Offering
ΠTerminal unit controller
‹ Classroom unit ventilators (2- or 3-speed fan)
‹ Fan-coils (3-speed fan)

ΠConfiguration settings
‹ Fan mode = AUTO
‹ Default fan speed = AUTO

ΠAutomatically adjusts position

of OA damper as speed changes

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

chilled-water terminal systems
Improved Dehumidification
ΠAutomatic fan-speed adjustment

ΠSupply-air tempering (reheat)

ΠDedicated conditioning of outdoor air

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

chilled-water terminal systems
Supply-Air Tempering
RA

space EA
T RH

C H
OA MA CA SA

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

supply-air tempering (reheat)
Terminal Control Offering
Πunit controller
‹ Classroom unit ventilators
‹ Blower-coils
‹ Fan-coils

ΠRequirements
‹ Heating coil downstream
of cooling coil
‹ Space humidity input
(space sensor)

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

chilled-water terminal systems
Improved Dehumidification
ΠAutomatic fan-speed adjustment

ΠSupply-air tempering (reheat)

ΠDedicated conditioning of outdoor air

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

chilled-water terminal systems
Dedicated OA Conditioning

dedicated
OA OA unit OA

CA CA

CA CA SA RA RA SA

SA SA

direct to to local
RA spaces RA HVAC units
© 2005 American Standard Inc.
dedicated conditioning of OA
Tips and Insights
ΠAlways provide conditioned outdoor air
that’s drier than the space
‹ Dry enough to offset space latent loads

Œ … but no drier than necessary

‹ Requires larger equipment
‹ Consumes more energy

Œ Deliver cold (not “neutral”) air

whenever possible

ΠUse communicating controls

© 2005 American Standard Inc.
 dedicated conditioning of OA
Unoccupied Humidity Control

dedicated OA unit
also adds a path
for air-to-air (100% recirculated air)
energy recovery
RA CA

RA RA
CA CA

terminal units
direct to
(off)
spaces
© 2005 American Standard Inc.
single-zone unitary systems
Improved Dehumidification
ΠTotal-energy recovery

ΠSupply-air tempering (reheat)

ΠDedicated conditioning of outdoor air

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

basic CV system
Total-Energy Recovery
EA RA

total-energy
space
wheel
T

C
OA MA SA

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

single-zone unitary systems
Improved Dehumidification
ΠTotal-energy recovery

ΠSupply-air tempering (reheat)

ΠDedicated conditioning of outdoor air

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

 single-zone unitary systems
Supply-Air Tempering
evaporator
1 Reheat valve closes
MA
CA
2 Hot gas from compressor
passes through reheat coil
reheat coil
3 Mixed air (MA) passes
through evaporator to be
cooled and dehumidified
4 Conditioned air (CA) is
tempered as it passes
condenser
through reheat coil
reheat
valve

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

 Dallas, Texas on 28 August 2004
Case Study
100

“control” restaurant
space relative humidity, %

80 (no hot gas reheat)

60

40 “test” restaurant
(with hot gas reheat)

20
dining room open
0
3 6 9 3 6 9
midnight a.m. a.m. a.m. noon p.m. p.m. p.m. midnight

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

 Central Air-Handling Systems
ΠChilled water or DX
‹ Packaged or split

ΠSingle zone or
multiple zones

ΠConstant volume or
variable volume (VAV)

rooftop VAV system

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

central air-handling systems
Improved Dehumidification
ΠSingle zone, constant volume
‹ Dual-path air handler
‹ CDQ™

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

central CV air-handling systems
Dual-Path Air Handler

split
dehumidification
unit (SDU) OA

T RH

SA RA

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

central air-handling systems
Improved Dehumidification
ΠSingle zone, constant volume
‹ Dual-path air handler
‹ CDQ™

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

Infrastructure Benefits
Dry zone in chilled water
from central plant
a large facility
45°F
‹ Hospitals comfort

z Operating rooms
z Pharmacies 38°F
z Laboratories critical

‹ Museums air-cooled
‹ College campuses chiller
45°F
z Laboratories comfort
z Rare book archives
‹ Pharmaceutical labs
‹ Industrial facilities
© 2005 American Standard Inc.
Infrastructure Benefits
Secondary chiller is chilled water
from central plant
not required
45°F
comfort

45°F

CDQ
critical

45°F
comfort

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

Cool, Dry, Quiet (CDQ™)
Type III Series Desiccant
OA

75°F DB 80°F DB
63°F DP 60°F DP

MA' MA RA

water vapor

CA SA

50°F DB 55°F DB
49°F DP 43°F DP

cooling Trane CDQ

coil desiccant wheel

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

how it works:
CDQ
Type III Series Desiccant Wheel
high typical
leaving-coil
conditions

typical
ability to
mixed-air
hold water
conditions
vapor

low
0 20 40 60 80 100
relative humidity, %
© 2005 American Standard Inc.
OA 100°F DB
74°F WB
RA 62°F DB
50% RH
MA 80°F DB
180
53.5°F DP

humidity ratio, grains/lb of dry air

160
MA' 76°F DB 80
CDQ requires:
58.5°F DP , °F • less cooling tons 140
e
urt • no reheat
CA 51°F DB era • warmer coil temp 120
p 70
49°F DP te
m … than cool + reheat 100
b
bul
SA 55°F DB -
et 60 MA' 80
w OA
42°F DP CA 60
50 MA
40 40
30 CAreheat SA RA
20

30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110
dry-bulb temperature, °F

Trane CDQ system (surgery room)

© 2005 American Standard Inc.
optimum performance benefits
CDQ “Hot Spots”
Space requirements Ideal applications
‹ 35 to 55% RH ‹ Laboratories
‹ High air changes/hr ‹ Hospitals
z Operating rooms
Unit requirements z Pharmacies
z Labs
‹ 35°F to 45°F DP
supply air ‹ Dry storage
z Rare books
‹ Cold (not neutral) z Archives, warehouses
SA dry bulb
‹ Museums
‹ Humidity-sensitive
comfort applications

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

CDQ
Dedicated OA Unit
total-energy Trane CDQ
wheel desiccant wheel

OA OA' OA''

EA' CA

CA'
EA
cooling
coil

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

CDQ System

Central air handlers

Packaged rooftops
‹ CDQ curb for 3-20 ton
rooftops

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

central air-handling systems
Improved Dehumidification
ΠSingle zone, constant volume
‹ Dual-path air handler
‹ Supply-air tempering (reheat)
‹ CDQ™

ΠVariable volume (VAV)

‹ Colder supply air
‹ CDQ™

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

Multiple-Zone VAV
EA RA

space
T

C T P
OA MA SA space
T

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

VAV systems
Tips and Insights
ΠVAV systems typically provide effective,
“coincidental” dehumidification
‹ Continues to supply cool, dry air at part load

ΠProvide heat source for tempering at VAV terminals

‹ Commonly needed during cooling season … especially
for zones with high minimum airflow settings

ΠCO2 control can be combined with Re-Heat

‹ Conference room minimum flows can be maintained
without overcooling

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

central air-handling systems
Improved Dehumidification
ΠSingle zone, constant volume
‹ Dual-path air handler
‹ Supply-air tempering (reheat)
‹ CDQ™

ΠVariable volume (VAV)

‹ Colder supply air
‹ CDQ™

© 2005 American Standard Inc.

Underfloor Air Distribution

OA
Trane CDQ floor plenum

RA
EA
MA' MA

65°F DB
CA SA 55°F DP

55°F EWT

Needs 65°F air … but dry

© 2005 American Standard Inc.
Summary
ΠAnalyze system dehumidification performance
at both full-load and part-load conditions

ΠDehumidification performance of commonly-used

HVAC systems can be improved
‹ Right choice depends on climate, building use,
available budget, and operating cost goals
‹ May not require separate, dedicated equipment

ΠEffective part-load dehumidification

requires proper design and control

© 2005 American Standard Inc.