An initially dry granular silica gel bed is subject to a sudden uniform air flow at a selected temperature and humidity. The coupled non-equilibrium heat transfer and moisture transfer were investigated experimentally and numerically. This study provides a fundamental view of heat and mass transfer process within the granular particle pores. It was found that only a small fraction of internal surface area of silica gel is exposed to water vapour during the test and this occurs very slowly with a time delay that must be accounted for in the model. This modified model gives transient response results that agree with the experimental data within the uncertainty bounds. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.