The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. It has been a key center of research in the development of microwave, wireless, radar, electronics in general, polymers, industrial engineering, operations research and the US space program.

Much of this research takes place in critically controlled environmental rooms with precise temperature and humidity tolerances. This project had two specific operating conditions that needed to be meet. For the cold room design, it was 40°F at 30% RH, and for the warm room, it was 40-100°F at 30%-70% RH.

These rooms are intended to be very well insulated, sealed for moisture vapor, and require make-up air for occupant ventilation (IAQ). It is necessary to treat the make-up air before it enters the space to prevent condensation. For lowering the humidity, we utilized a Munters’s Desiccant-based dehumidifier. The unit removes moisture in the vapor phase, allowing very low dewpoint operation without freezing.

Project Highlights

• Accuspec provided Munters HC-300s, HC-150s, and MG90s to precondition make-up air and control room humidity levels.
• The process fan runs continuously to maintain the required ventilation air, and the unit reactivation circuit is cycled to maintain RH set points.
• The units are very compact, so they can be installed above the ceiling on the top of the environmental chambers, allowing easy access and service.
• Munters was selected as the “Basis of Design” by Sterling Environments.