Feasibility study of the passive solar room dehumidifying system using the sorption property of a wooden attic space through field measurement

Substantial effort has recently been devoted to passive solar desiccant air dehumidification. This research aims to describe the passive room dehumidifying system with the combination of an existing wooden attic space as a chamber and desiccant; an optimization of ventilation system and solar energy as system operation. The field measurement was carried out in the test house in Japan over hot humid summers in 2003 and 2004. It was found that the dehumidification rate of the wooden attic space was approximately 25 g/h per square meter of floor area of attic space. The electric coefficient of performance was approximately 15. In addition to the attic space, regarding to the investigation on the system including the ventilation between the attic space and the bedroom, in the presence of an occupant, the humidity of the bedroom during the nighttime was lower compared to the traditional natural ventilation approach throughout the night. Therefore, the system outlined in this study could be promising as a new passive tool for moisture control in hot humid region.