The Problem
Museums and galleries provide access for all to enjoy treasures of the past. In addition to the exhibits, there are usually many more artifacts in storage. Many of these treasures are priceless and irreplaceable. Archives and Libraries also store sensitive items which may range from court records to rare book collections. Unfortunately, many of these displayed or stored items are also fragile and have a limited life span. Deterioration of books, photographs, art, furniture and documents can be caused by improper temperature and humidity conditions. Nitrate films can actually combust if not stored correctly.
The Solution
Stulz DESICAiR desiccant dehumidification systems can meet the low dew point requirements of artifact and archival storage. The desiccant dehumidification process does not rely on condensation as refrigerant systems do. Stulz DESICAiR utilizes silica gel desiccant to remove water vapor from the air. Desiccant dehumidifiers are effective, even with sub-freezing dew points. Defrost cycles are not required, so there is no interruption in the supplied air conditions.
The result is dry air which can be cooled to the required temperature, regardless if it is below freezing.
Stulz DESICAiR desiccant dehumidification systems are currently providing optimum storage conditions at such locations as the Library of Congress's National Audio Video Conservation Center, The Smithsonian Museum and the University of Virginia's Special Collections Library.
Expertise
Only Stulz-ATS DESICAiR has the H-Trac control scheme. H-Trac relative humidity control compares the conditioned space’s relative humidity to the desired relative humidity set point. Reactivation energy is modulated to provide the proper supply air moisture content to satisfy the set point. When loads are less, the reactivation energy is reduced, thereby lowering utility consumption.
Unlike some control methods, which may waste energy to "over dry" the desiccant rotor and bypass air to bring the supply air conditions to desired levels, H-Trac uses only the amount of reactivation energy required to maintain the relative humidity set point.
DESICAiR desiccant dehumidifiers use electric, steam, propane or natural gas for reactivation. Units can be configured for indoor or outdoor installation. Cooling and heating options are available to provide complete, environmental control of the facility. High-efficiency filtration and gaseous phase filtration are also available.
DESICAiR desiccant dehumidifiers can use electric, steam, propane, or natural gas for reactivation. Units can be configured for indoor or outdoor installation. Cooling and heating options are available to provide complete environmental control of the facility. High efficiency filtration and gaseous phase filtration are also available.
| Product Family | Nominal Air Flow |
|---|---|
| Series 1000 | 150 SCFM – 600 SCFM |
| Series 2000 | 750 SCFM – 12,000 CFM |
| Series 6000 | 750 CFM – 15,000 SCFM |
