Humidifi cation & dehumidifi cation


Image Showing a production area of an industrial plant facility


www.heatingandventilating.net


Optimal conditions through humidity zoning


Tom Barker, Humidity Solutions internal sales manager, explains the benefi ts of customising an industrial humidifi cation system in facilities with multi-use


A


pplications such as large warehouses, food production and packaging facilities are notorious for humidity issues. These types of


open spaces often contain multiple areas that have diff erent humidity loads. As a solution, most warehouses use a standard industrial humidity control system to provide uniform control in the space. However, this may not be the best solution, as a one-size-fi ts-all installation is unable to meet the varying demands, resulting in increased energy bills and reduced product quality. One way to counteract this is known as “humidity


zoning”. In large industrial applications, separate areas of buildings often serve diff erent purposes. For example, there may be production, packaging, and storage areas, which require diff erent humidity levels to keep processes operating smoothly. By using humidity zoning, areas that have diff erent requirements can be adjusted, giving facility managers accurate control over the environment.


How to control humidity in industrial warehouses


Many factors can aff ect the internal climate of large facilities, like equipment, air temperature, multiple entry points, ventilation systems, and external air humidity levels. So how do we control this? First, we need to look at the space to identify the problem zones and to illustrate, we will be using a printing warehouse as an example with two distinct areas ¡ The printing zone ¡ A storage zone


12 January 2025


Above: Diagram showing the different zones of a printing facility


We can see from the picture, that the printing zone needs a higher level of humidity in comparison to the storage area. Other factors aff ecting the humidity include printing machinery releasing excess steam into the air, and the doorway allowing outside air to fl ow inside. Why do we need to consider the air from outside? During winter, the air temperature can often be much lower with relative humidity as high as 100%. For this reason, we need to include external air conditions as they can drastically aff ect indoor humidity levels. After identifying the problem areas and


calculating the relative humidity, the fi nal step is to choose the equipment and areas which the industrial humidifi cation system should cover. We now have full control over the humidity levels of the printing facility.


Left: Tom Barker, Humidity Solutions internal sales manager


Right: Cold Water Humidifier installed within a printing facility


Printing Warehouse Floor Plan


Industries that need precise humidity control


As seen from the example, customised humidity systems are a more eff ective method of humidity control, with many industries already using this type of solution in their businesses. Here are some examples: ¡ Food processing facilities often contain areas for drying food and other zones for preservation. Controlling humidity in this type of environment is vital to avoid attracting mould and food spoilage ¡ Printing facilities with low humidity levels can experience equipment malfunction caused by paper becoming wavy and jamming machine feeds. Another common issue is static electricity caused by dry conditions, which can adversely affect print quality. By increasing humidity levels managers can reduce both static and paper curling problems. In contrast, storage and packaging areas need slightly different conditions to protect items from getting damaged by excess moisture. ¡ Electronic production facilities need a dust-free environment. Dry environments can cause static, attracting dust and foreign particles to build up,


DOWNLOAD THE HVR APP NOW


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32