Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers - Essay Example

HUMIDIFIERS AND DEHUMIDIFIERS By Course Tutor University City and state Date Introduction Humidifiers are devices incorporated in houses or buildings for regulating humidity. A humidifier as such comes in handy when the humidity levels of a room are below the minimum tolerable levels. The humidifier works by raising the levels of moisture in the air. A dehumidifier, on the other hand, is the reversal of the humidifier. It performs its duty through eliminating or decreasing the saturation of moisture in the air. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers are quite strategic in any vicinity as they aid regulate one of the most important components. However much humidity may appear as a non-issue, individuals should not neglect it. For instance, human body functions rely upon the presence of this important component in order to carry out its normal operations. Low humidity levels would result in the mucous membranes of the body drying up. This hampers a myriad of other bodily functions like respiration, which rely entirely on humidity levels. One notable area that has humidifiers as its strategic assets include the hospitals. Apart from living things, furniture and electronic devices are among the factors susceptible to damage attributed to humidity depreciation. As such, the maintenance of humidity courtesy of the humidifiers and dehumidifiers is of great importance (Liu, 2016 p. 934). Application of the equipment As highlighted above, humidifiers and dehumidifiers work in tandem to create ample conditions for the survival of human beings and the preservation of ideal conditions for nonliving things. As such there is a myriad of institutions that have harnessed the attributed of humidifiers. Electric appliances Electric equipment employs complex connections for the transfer of currents and signals. The juxtaposition of different elements in a cramped place results in engineering nightmares in terms of management. One of the biggest challenges is the issue pertaining to static electricity. Static electricity occurrence heightens with decreased humidity. As such, engineers have to employ humidifiers in a bid to raise humidity levels and bring them to ideal levels. Hospitals Human bodies, in general, are very sensitive when it comes to the issue pertaining to heat and the levels of humidity. As highlighted above mucous membranes are susceptible to changes in the humidity levels. A drop or rise in humidity levels results in adverse damage to different body organs. Higher than normal humidity levels creates necessary conditions for the growth of moulds. It is generally unhealthy to breathe in air contaminated with moulds in response to this fact hospitals have installed humidifiers and dehumidifiers in a bid to regulate the levels of humidity. Manufacturing industries In the industrial sphere, many activities come into play in order to come up with a product. One of the notable aspects involved in the production process is friction. Static energy develops when humidity levels are lower than the average levels. The accumulation of such unneeded energy easily destroys or derails the process of product creation. As such, measures have to be put into place to ensure that static levels are brought at bay. Humidifiers come in quite handy in the management of vapour content within the surrounding environment. Information centres Apart from the manufacturing industry, those service industries that deal with paper-based materials like the art centres and the libraries take great precautions in the management of humidity. The paper has a high tendency of warping or folding depending on the levels of humidity within the atmosphere. High humidity, for instance, results in paper warping. In order to mitigate this problem, dehumidifiers have to be employed. On the other hand, low temperatures lead to the papers folding, a condition corrected with the use of humidifiers. Without the use of these devices, accessing information stored in the paper-based materials would be rendered an uphill task. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers come in different types each pegged on the technology employed to vary the levels of humidity. For instance, there are those that rely on heating elements in order to release humidity into the surrounding environment in form of water vapour. Besides the heat-based humidifiers, there are those that rely upon the natural forces of diffusion. In such cases, water particles move from their regions of high centration levels (a reservoir) to regions of low concentration levels (the air within an enclosure/room). Equipment construction Evaporation reliant humidifier Humidifiers vary in their makes. For instance, there are those that rely on evaporation. The construction of such humidifiers calls for fewer resources as compared to the other methods. This is attributed to the fact that evaporation is not an energy intensive process. As such, the basic components such as a water reservoir a water storage compartment and a wick are the only ones needed. In order to make the device operational be, the wick is dipped into the water reservoir while the other end put in contact with the evaporation service, which can be in the form of a cloth or a towel. This humidifier as the name states works through evaporation. It utilizes the concept that water or substances generally will move from their region of high concentration to their regions of low concentration. A decrease in the humidity within a room will create a region of low vapour concentration; this will result in the water reservoir being a region of high humidity concentration. As such, water in form of vapour will be forced to move into their region of low concentration, which is the room environment. Vaporizers As the name goes, the vaporizers involve the forceful vaporisation of water in order to achieve humidification of the room environment. Such a humidifier comprises a heater and a water reservoir. Humidification is achieved through the heating up of the water within the storage compartments. Since it is artificial, this kind of humidifier can easily result in the creation of higher levels of humidity than required. As such, caution should be taken be those operating them. Impeller humidifiers This type of humidifier comprises a fan and a water reservoir. The rotation of a fan ensures that the water is broken into fine droplets easily absorbed into the air. Unlike the evaporation humidifiers, the impeller relies upon artificial energy in order to achieve its purpose. In order to operationalize the impeller, a rotating fan is made to run above a bowl of water. The speed and energy generated by the rotating fan result in the water breaking up into smaller molecules absorbable into the air. This results in a rise in humidity within the atmosphere. Ultrasound-based humidifiers The humidifiers based on this technology employs the use of a ceramic cylinder immersed in a water reservoir. It achieves its role through the vibration of the ceramic cylinder at an ultrasonic frequency. The resultant water vapour comes in the form of smog. This type of humidifier can also incorporate a fan in order to spread the vapour in a larger surface area and with a much stronger force. Spray mist The spray mist releases a mist that enables the raising of humidity within a certain environment. This type of humidifier is composed of a narrow pipe, which connects the water reservoir to an electrically controlled valve. The valve performs its task by spraying the jets of air into the small streams of air emanating from the small pipe. This results in the water being airborne. Through such, the spray mist humidifier achieves its intended purpose. Refrigerative dehumidifier This one of the most commonly used dehumidifier. It is composed of a fan and cooling coil. The fan’s role is to take in the air currents within the room while the coil has a task of ensuring that the water vapour within the air is cooled down and hence condensing it. After condensing the water particles from the air, the coil can heat up the resultant air before releasing it to the vicinity. This task normally is done by the air conditioning systems installed different localities. As such, the refrigerative dehumidifiers can also be referred to as the air conditioning systems. Specification notes Like all other instruments and devices, humidifiers and dehumidifiers are constructed based on a number of factors. A dehumidifier comes from the factory when fully assemble with complete wiring systems and packaged. The device entails a fan for the supply of air, a heat-exchanging component, a burner, a coil for the recovery of heat. The device also features some controls and nobs, filters and refrigeration oriented coils. Selection procedure and operational characteristics The humidifiers and the dehumidifiers are selected according to the prevailing conditions within the area of concern. For instance, if the levels of humidity are higher than the minimum accepted levels then a dehumidifier will be incorporated for the purpose of bringing down the levels of humidity within the building. After determining which of the two devices to choose from the size of the area that needs the intervention should be analysed. Large environments will generally call for larger devices and probably artificially driven by electricity or computer controlled. Smaller versions and those that rely on the forces of nature to move their water particles into and out of the air will take a much longer time and hence may end up not doing a perfect job. The operational characteristics as highlighted above will be pegged on whether the room to be intervened upon has high humidity levels or lower. In either case, the humidifiers and the dehumidifiers are set to operate along with the needs of the occupants and their financial capabilities. The larger and much efficient humidifier and dehumidifiers are priced much higher than the simple and easier to make an alternative. The availability of the energy sources are the other operational characteristics, which will have to be looked into before beginning the exercise (Kabeel, and El-Said., 2013 p. 69). Applicable control strategies including capacity control An individual yearning to operationalize the humidifier and dehumidifiers will have to take into account how the system will be running. For instance, once the desired humidity levels are achieved the device has to either be switched off manually or it may have to depend on the internal settings inputted into it during installation. The creation of higher humidity levels within an environment can easily result in other repercussions on the part of human beings. Therefore, in order to prevent cases of irritation, a health hazard and related exposures in a workplace, amines can be induced into the steam intended for humidification. Moreover, caution should be taken to ensure that this form of treated steam is not mishandled or applied in an improper manner. The use of rust preventing chemical additives in the water for humidification purpose should also be regarded with due caution and diligence. Chances are that the employees exposed to such chemicals may end up developing allergies in form of getting irritated. Therefore, as much as the chemicals will stem the rusting of metallic surfaces the welfare of the workers should not be disregarded. Requirements The installation of a humidifier device will put into consideration a number of requirements. For instance the availability of an energy source. The proximity to a wall can is also another requirement that comes in handy in the installation of air conditioners. In being next to a wall, the exhaust ducts can easily be terminated to the outside of the house. The making of holes to allow for such fixing is a step necessary in the installation process. The other requirement is that there should be a considerate fluctuation I the humidity levels to warrant the installation of a humidifier or a dehumidifier. This can be arrived at through calculation of the humidity levels. As such, work should be initiated until the necessary conditions have been ascertained. Spatial requirement considerations with maintenance clearances During the installation process, caution should be taken to ensure that the manufacturers instructions on the installation guidelines are followed to the latter in order to ensure compliance and optimum operations. The systems installation should also be coordinated with other works existed within the structure of the building. For instance the ductworks, roofing, piping among other installations within the building. After the installation, testing of the unit should be conducted in order to ascertain the optimum operations. This can facilitate by the help of a qualified technician. During the process, the capacity of the dehumidifier or the humidifier should be counterchecked to ensure that it meets the specifications outlined by the manufacturer. The system should also be compared with safety standards stipulated in workplace environment manuals. As such, the issue pertaining to worker illnesses should not arise later. For the purposes of maintenance, spare belts in the case of dehumidifiers that are belt driven will come in quite handy. In the case of the humidifier, which results in vibrations and noises resulting from the revolving instruments, acoustics should be put to the required standards. For instance, the use of fluffy carpets can go a long way in the reduction of noises within an enclosure. Installation of wooden compartment around the devices will go a long way in dissipating the emerging sounds. Wool can come in handy for the reduction of vibrations. The humidifiers can be installed in a compartment fitted with wool in order to check on the noise and vibrations, which may emanate from it. As stated above, the installation of the devices should follow the instructions of the manufacturer to the latter for optimum functioning (Utiome, 2015 p.16). References Liu, H. and Sharqawy, M.H., 2016. Experimental performance of bubble column humidifier and dehumidifier under varying pressure. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 93, pp.934-944. Utiome, E.A.E., 2015. Extending building information models to construction specifications. Kabeel, A.E. and El-Said, E.M., 2013. A hybrid solar desalination system of air humidification dehumidification and water flashing evaporation: A comparison among different configurations. Desalination, 330, pp.79-89. Read More