Humidification load barrel wine storage

[tabtech]

I am trying to calculate the humidification load of a recently-built barrel room on Vancouver Island, BC.
Does anyone know a formula I could use?

 

[AEBuck]

The answer you seek is not so easily determined. There could be vapor transfer through the envelope of the room, due to differential vapor pressure and perhaps infiltration as well. Considering that you're posing this question after construction, it's possible (probable) that this envelope includes no vapor barrier - thus this load could be significant. Are doors and other openings equipped with seals? How often and for how long are the doors open? Are the barrels constructed of wood? What is their initial mass and moisture content? How often are the barrels exchanged? How many barrels? How much moisture is removed and not replaced by the cooling system? An invitation for sampling may yield better answers. It's not that far from here!

 

[tabtech]

Thanks for the reply.
The room was recently built with a vapour barrier on the warm side. There is a 5 ton evaporator coil within the space and the stat setpoint is 55F. All doors are sealed well and I don't think vapour pressure will be a problem.
I only have the problem because when the plumber said the humidifier was working, I watched it. The power light is on but there is no control. It appears these were sent back as not being required. That got me questioning a few other issues and I thought I would try to calculate the load to see how close it would be.
About a hundred barrels for the first year, but I am sure that would change quickly.
T

 

[EdStainless]

So you are going to run to a 55F dew point and that is that?
Maybe you should look at information on the drying of wood. This is done regularly so info on moisture content and rate of drying should be available from wood products sources (forestry department).

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[MintJulep]

What exactly do you mean by humidification load?

I suspect that the moisture transfer from the barrels to the air would be negligable. Barrels are made from wood that has already been dried, so the moisture content of the wood itself is probably around 6%, and is unlikely to get significantly lower. Transpiration of the wine is low. Your wine guy should be able to tell you that.

I would pipe the condensate from the evaporator to a gravity feed tank for the humidifier. Design a humidifier control to maintain a constant level in the tank.