Review of High Relative Humidity in Catheter Laboratory of a Private Hospital and a Low Energy Consuming Solution

The Relative Humidity in a Catheter Laboratory is desirous to be controlled within a range of 30 to 65% RH. A maximum Relative Humidity (RH) fluctuation of up to 70% is tolerated. A case study is presented whereby a high RH of up to 80% RH has been recorded in the examination room of a Catheter Laboratory (CathLab) in a local Hospital. The conditioned air to the CathLab is supplied through an existing dedicated Chilled Water Air Handling Unit. Two (2) solutions were considered and the technical and commercial comparisons carried out. The first option is an inline dehumidifier system and the second option is to install a portable standalone dehumidifier inside the CathLab examination room. Solutions to address the high Relative Humidity have to be carefully considered as the introduction of in-line dehumidifiers contribute to higher energy consumption. The latter was selected based on commercial reasons. Three (3) weeks of RH monitoring via the building’s Integrated Building Management System (IBMS) was carried out. The readings measured show a drastic reduction in RH to a mean of about 60% RH which meets the end user’s requirement. The cost for the second option was also found to be much lower at about 10% of the first option.