An experiment was carried out to examine heat and mass transfer between constant-temperature water and dry air through a porous plate having extremely small pores. The effects of the thermal conductivity in the porous plate on moisture transport were investigated. The controlling factor for moisture transport was found to be the thermal resistance inside the porous plate having a low-thermal-conductivity and the heat transfer at the surface of the porous plate having a high-thermal-conductivity. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.