For many businesses controlling humidity can be just as important as maintaining an optimal temperature. Humidity can affect a variety of manufacturing process as well as testing and storage, so understanding how humidity may affect your business and what you can do about it is crucial.
What is humidity?
Humidity refers to the amount of water vapour contained in the air. A high humidity means there is a relatively large amount of water vapour in the air, low humidity means less water vapour in the air.
There are three different types of humidity that may be relevant to businesses, absolute, relative and specific. Absolute humidity is the total water content in a given volume of air, relative humidity is the percentage of water in the air compared to the theoretical maximum for the current temperature and specific humidity is the ratio of water vapour to other air components by mass.
Why does humidity matter?
Excess water in the air can cause a range of issues, including condensation, corrosion, mould and warping. High humidity can also affect how electronic equipment works, by increasing the conductivity of permeable insulators, while low humidity can make components brittle. High humidity can also reduce the oxygen concentration in air, which can negatively affect productivity in chemical plants and refineries.
How to control humidity
Generally speaking, the warmer air is, the more moisture it can hold. One way to reduce humidity, therefore, is to simply maintain a cooler temperature to reduce the air’s potential for holding water vapour. This can either be done with standard air conditioning, or with an electrical heat pump designed to cool air specifically for the purpose of removing water vapour from it by condensation.
Sometimes it may be necessary to cool air below the desired final atmospheric temperature to remove enough water to reach the specific humidity. In such cases, the dehumidified air can then be heated back up to the desired temperature after the dehumidification process, leaving air with the perfect water content and temperature.
TEK specialise in creating the perfect environment for your business. Whether you need air conditioning, a close control room or any other kind of atmospheric management solution, we can help. To find out more, call us today on 0117 9523355 or fill out our contact form for a quick response.
