This paper presents an investigation on the absorption/regeneration mass transfer through parallel plates of cloth layers. Cloth layers impregnated with calcium chloride solution are subjected to absorption of water vapour from a flowing air stream with subsequent regeneration by a hot stream. Concentration range of desiccant from 0.2 to 0.5 is applied in this study. Experimental measurements are used to evaluate the mass transfer coefficient and Sherwood number. An attempt to fit the Sherwood number as a function of the Reynolds number, for the operating range of the Schmidt number, has been made. Scatter of the experimental values of the Sherwood number is observed and discussed in this work. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.