NSF International is in the business of writing standards for and certifying a wide range of products and consumer goods, so consistency and continuity are essential to protecting a reputation. When the Michigan company needed a humidification retrofit, it needed a system to maintain testing conditions; what it got saved operating expenses and reduced labor as well. See how the project performed and learn some in’s and out’s of adiabatic design and installation along the way.
Critical environments such as cleanrooms, laboratories, data centers, and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities use large amounts of energy to keep their temperatures and relative humidities at precise levels. The need for strict control of space conditions is necessary because even small swings in temperature and humidity can hurt the quality of a product or process.
While each highly controlled environment utilizes a different type of process and variation in the HVAC system design, it has been estimated that HVAC energy use usually accounts for over 50% of the total facility energy in critical applications. While fans often account for a significant portion of the HVAC energy use, there’s no question that humidification can add to the total bill as well.
In an effort to cut utility costs, some facilities that require humidification are being retrofitted with adiabatic systems, which are known for using less energy. Adiabatic system manufacturers state this type of humidification also provides close control of an environment and requires little maintenance, which makes them perfect for critical applications.