Humidity buffering refers to the ability of materials to moderate changes in

relative humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...

by absorbing and desorbing water vapour from surrounding air. This is also referred to as moisture buffering. The phenomenon has long been exploited for preserving items from damage that could be caused by either excessively moist or dry conditions.

Examples

* Cigars are usually kept in a wooden box called a

humidor A humidor is a humidity-controlled box or room used primarily for storing cigars, cigarettes, cannabis, or pipe tobacco. Either too much or too little humidity can be harmful to tobacco products; a humidor's primary function is to maintain a st ...

. A pan of water is placed in the

so that the wood will absorb water vapor at close to 100%

. It is then used to store the cigars at fairly constant relative humidity, between 55 and 70%. *

Silica gel Silica gel is an amorphous and porosity, porous form of silicon dioxide (silica), consisting of an irregular three-dimensional framework of alternating silicon and oxygen atoms with nanometer-scale voids and pores. The voids may contain wate ...

is widely used to buffer relative humidity inside museum display cases, packaged clothing, electronics and anything that might be damaged by condensation, or in the example of museum display cases, being too low an RH (relative humidity) as the silica will help protect the objects displayed from mechanical damage due to shrinking and growing with RH changes. Recently, there has been an interest in the field of

building science Building science is the science and technology-driven collection of knowledge to provide better indoor environmental quality (IEQ), energy-efficient built environments, and occupant comfort and satisfaction. ''Building physics, architectural sc ...

and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

in using humidity buffering as a passive indoor climate control, thus reducing the need for

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

and

ventilation Ventilation may refer to: * Ventilation (physiology), the movement of air between the environment and the lungs via inhalation and exhalation ** Mechanical ventilation, in medicine, using artificial methods to assist breathing *** Respirator, a ma ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Humidity Buffering Atmospheric thermodynamics Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning

Examples

See also

References