Question: Who's allowed to make presentations and suggest desiccant-related topics for seminars, forums and symposia at ASHRAE meetings?
Answer: Anybody and everybody. Just let us know what you are interested in presenting, or what you'd like to hear more about, and we'll put the information into one of our programs. Contact us through the Chair of our Program Subcommittee.
Question: How can I find a list of manufacturers of desiccant dehumidification equipment?
Answer: Because ASHRAE is a technical society rather than a trade organization, we don't publish such lists. You might get useful results by typing "Desiccant Dehumidifiers" or "Desiccant Dehumidification" into one of the usual internet search engines.
Question: What sort of moisture removal performance could I expect from a desiccant dehumidifier compared to a mechanical dehumidifier.
Answer: An accurate answer depends upon the exact hardware you are comparing. Performance of both desiccant and mechanical dehumidifiers varies widely, because the equipment is usually optimized for a specific application and operating range. In general, as the required dew point goes down, economics begin to favor desiccants over cooling-based dehumidifiers. Conversely, higher dew points tend to favor cooling-based dehumidifiers. More specifically, you can gain a basic feel for dry desiccant desiccant performance by typing different entering conditions into the Desiccant Wheel Performance Estimator that we have located on this site.
Question: How can I figure out which kind and what size desiccant dehumidifier will meet my need?
Answer: The most certain and reliable decision-making process begins with your clear definition of the need: How dry must the space or the air stream be made, and what happens if it does not meet that level of dryness? If you know the answers to those questions, most manufacturers can ask you more questions which will guide you to a cost-effective equipment selection. But without the answers to those questions, any equipment selection will be uncertain. For a more complete understanding of the variables governing equipment selection, we suggest the ASHRAE Humidity Control Design Guide.
