Press Release Back Number(2004)

Development of an Electric Desiccant Air-Conditioner (Dehumidifier) Intended for Fully-electrified Supermarkets

February 23, 2004

We have developed an "electric desiccant air-conditioner" in cooperation with Sanyo Commercial Equipment Systems Company (a subsidiary of Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.; president: Kohei Wakayama; address: 3-24-13, Yushima, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo) intended for wholly-electrified supermarkets. The dehumidifier, the first product in the industry to have been designed specifically for fully-electrified commercial outlets, can reduce operations costs dramatically by utilizing the heat exhausted from refrigerators and chilled water produced by ice thermal storage systems.

A desiccant*1 air-conditioner is essentially a dehumidifying air-conditioner; it makes interior spaces more comfortable by lowering and controlling the level of humidity in summer. Over recent years, an increasing number of desiccant air-conditioners have been installed in supermarkets as they can prevent frozen food sections from becoming heavily frosted and help cool air to circulate more evenly in the store.

*1 A desiccant is a drying agent.

A desiccant air-conditioner absorbs moisture by repeatedly rotating a disk-shaped desiccant (desiccant rotor) into and out of a regeneration device that absorbs moisture. With conventional rotors, the air had to be heated to as high as 90 to 120°C by a gas cogeneration system*2 and a gas burner to achieve the same effect.

  1. *2 A gas cogeneration system is a system that generates electricity with a gas engine while recovering waste heat for use in buildings.

The product allows us to utilize waste heat from showcase type refrigerators as the desiccant rotor (made by Kubota Corporation) dries at a moderate temperature of around 50°C. Furthermore, the equipment facilitates dehumidification by cooling rooms with the chilled water produced by ice thermal storage systems (a system to produce ice with inexpensive off-peak electricity at night) before any room air passes through the desiccant rotor.

The first of our dehumidifiers will be installed at one of the supermarkets (Valor Koei) of the Valor chain (address: 2-8-30 Koei, Minato Ward, Nagoya City) on 26 February. It is the first fully-electrified outlet in our area of business, and we are marketing the product as a device that will help our customers solve energy problems.

Features of the desiccant air-conditioner

1. Reduced operations costs!
Reduces annual operation costs by roughly 25 percent*3 compared with conventional air-conditioners!
2. Earth-friendly
CO2 emissions reduced by about 52 percent*3!

*3 Estimated level of reduction at a supermarket with a floor area of 1,500 m2.