The function of a humidifier in the HVAC systems

An overview of the humidification system and how it works

A humidification system plays an important role in how a building is comfortable. The control of temperature in an indoor environment usually receives major attention, however, the related humidity levels affect in the same way the capacity of a place to be comfortable. In this article, we will have an overview of what a humidification system is, its benefits, types of humidifiers.

What is meant by humidification in HVAC? how the humidification process works

Humidification is a process that aims to increase the level of water vapour in a given environment in order to make the air less dry. During the humidification process, the moisture is introduced to the air with the use of water at a lower temperature of the air.

What is the purpose of humidification?

The level of comfort in an environment is determined by the humidification along with other factors by lowering the presence of dry air from the atmosphere. 

Humidifier benefits

The action of a humidification system provides different advantages in terms of health, home maintenance and Cost-effectiveness.

As already mentioned, the main benefit coming from the use of a humidifier is the increase of comfort in a room. This happens because it positively affects the health of the final users. Humidifiers alleviate symptoms related to allergies and asthma, support lung function, reduce the chances to get ill. An environment with the standard levels of humidity helps avoid dry nose and skin. 

Dry air is dangerous for a building. All the parts made in wood, for example, floors or furniture, can be potentially damaged if the humidity levels are lower than standards. 

Humidifiers help contain the costs by reducing the use of thermostats. It is common to feel warmer when the relative humidity is at an optimal level and this leads people to turn down the thermostat usage and reduce energy consumption.

Types of humidification in HVAC, what are the different types of humidifiers?

In the HVAC industry humidification is the process that aims to introduce either humidity or water steam to the air of an environment. Throughout the years, different types of humidification systems with different technologies have been introduced to manage the humidity. 

What are the methods of humidification? Isothermal vs adiabatic humidification

The specific process humidifier unit for HVAC influences the maintenance cost and the time consumed to change the state of a place. Two of the main types are the Adiabatic and Isothermal, the latter is also known as Steam humidification.

What is isothermal humidification? The steam humidifiers in HVAC

The Isothermal humidification system, or Steam humidification, indeed uses the steam - or gas - created by boiling water. In order to turn the water from liquid to gas state, this solution requires the support of an external source of energy.

What does a steam humidifier do? The introduction of steam into the environment is absorbed into the atmosphere in order to increase the temperature.

What is isothermal humidification?

The humidifiers are responsible for the safety of the process and deliver the highest level of hygiene, meanwhile, the high temperature of the steam allows the absence of any possible dangerous microorganism.

Examples of isothermal or steam humidifiers

In our catalogue, there is a category fully dedicated to different types of steam humidifiers. Carel is the main supplier of isothermal humidifiers and provides different ranges:

CompactSteam: it is the ideal humidification solution for small or medium environments such as offices and stores, it is an immersed electrode humidifier.

Humisteam Basic: it is an installation ideal for large environments, such as hospitals and industrial facilities. The Steam is managed by an external signal.

Humisteam Wellness: this solution is designed to meet the requirements of specific spaces like bathrooms.

Humisteam Xplus:  the high-end solution in immersed electrode humidifiers, with a built-in controller, graphic display and keypads.

OEM kit: the most flexible solution designed for manufacturers' requirements.

How does adiabatic humidification work?

The Adiabatic humidification, also known as Evaporative, follows a different process, it creates or steams the water towards or from the media, adiabatic evaporation. This solution introduces the atomized water into the atmosphere of an environment. In this case, an external source of energy is not required. Also, the adiabatic solution does not introduce any heat from the outside of the environment.

How does an electrode humidifier work? An isothermal example.

The latest steam humidifiers in ac units are composed of four parts. The immersed-electrode steam humidifiers are made with support in plastic along with hoses and valves, the steam cylinder. The boards are connected to the cylinder and are in charge to follow the user requests by software that manages a dedicated process. The controller interface, at the same time, elaborates the signals from the sensors, the meters into a format compatible with the controller. 

Examples of Adiabatic humidifiers

The Adiabatic humidifiers are available on our website in a dedicated category. The main manufacturer, for this solution, is Carel, and it provides different lines of products for different uses:

Centrifugal Humidifiers: the main version, the humiDisk, is a little humidifier using a spinning disk to atomise water and blow it by a built-in fan in order to introduce the droplets in the atmosphere.

Ultrasonic Humidifiers: This solution can be either installed on a fan coil, or room distribution.

Compressed Air and Water Atomisers: a humidification system designed when compressed air is available as in many industrial applications.

Pressurised water humidifiers: it is the ideal solution matching all the (AHU) air handling unit requirements.

Atomisers - evaporative cooling: it cools the air by the evaporation of water.

What are humidification and dehumidification?

If the humidification process aims to introduce steam in a specific environment, the dehumidification has the opposite function: removing the atmospheric moisture in a given space.

Conclusion

In this article, we have provided an overview of what humidification is, how it works and the applications in an HVAC system and an AHU unit.

If you want to add anything relevant related to the topic or your direct experience, feel free to leave a message, we would like to hear from you.

If you need any additional info and details do not hesitate to contact us at support@i-acs.co.uk