International. In the growing market for radiant air conditioning there is a misconception: it is believed that dehumidification is necessary to prevent condensation on the panels.
Unfortunately, this concept is also shared by manufacturers of dehumidifiers for radiant air conditioning. The phenomenon of condensation depends on the combination of two basic factors:
1. the water supply temperature, on which the temperature of the panel surface depends
2. the dew temperature of the ambient air
The dew temperature is an independent variable that in turn depends on multiple internal and external factors to the environment to be conditioned and must be monitored with Relative Humidity and Temperature sensors, which then calculate it.
Based on the measured values, the regulation must process and control the appropriate water delivery temperature so that it is always compatible with the humidity present in the environment. It is evident that if the humidity is high, the temperature of the water that feeds the panels will also be high, so its performance will be lower and with it the level of comfort. But there will be no condensation phenomena.
At this time dehumidification comes into play, whose function is to maintain the appropriate humidity level to the greatest extent possible, allowing the panels to cool properly and ensuring the best comfort.
This is the function of the dehumidifier: the constancy of comfort even if the latent loads (humidity) vary. Thinking about using it to avoid condensation would mean entrusting it with a task that it is not able to perform, since it is impossible to guarantee that it is always in a position to dehumidify without oversizing excessively. But it still wouldn't be enough as you could have a failure or a blockage for any reason, or not be able to act in an environment with the window open, and perhaps even with the door closed.
Due to this and other factors, you can never give the guarantee of protection against condensation. that only an intelligent regulation equipped with sensors can provide, even in the absence of dehumidification.
On the other hand, it is possible to perform radiant cooling without a dehumidifier even with a simple fixed point adjustment in the prudential flow values (16 ÷ 20 ° C) accepting a more modest but still very appreciable well-being.
This represents a simple and economical starting point that can make you enjoy radiant air conditioning without the optimal performance that would be had with a specific regulation and dehumidification.
* Author: Roberto Messana School.
