GOVERNMENT ENGINEERING COLLEGE, VALSAD

Subject of
MASS TRANSFER OPRATION - II

Open Ended Project

TOPIC: -

Gas fired steam humidifier and Adiabatic humidifier

Submitted by:NAME
ENROLLMENT NO.
VARUN BAROT
130190105120
VIKAS RAMAVAT
130190105122
MAYURDHWAJ RATHOD
130190105093

Guided by: - Anjali. H. Prajapati

Gas-fired steam humidifiers

Gas-fired humidifiers use a local burner/heat exchanger system

to produce steam, consequently combining the low-cost
operation typical of the combustion process with the simplicity,
in installation terms, of a stand-alone appliance.
The installation, maintenance and surveillance problems
involving the gas assembly are similar to those encountered with
residential boilers for the production of hot water, which use the
same devices.
The heat exchanger is generally made from stainless steel or
aluminium, and is contained in a tank, it too normally made
from stainless steel, filled with water to a constant level. Inside
the heat exchanger is the combustion assembly, generally
featuring premix burners, metal fibre combustion head and
flame sensors.
The flame, and consequently steam production, is modulated
continuously by controlling the combustion air fan speed.

Adiabatic humidifiers

Adiabatic humidifiers bring about the direct evaporation of

water into the air without adding external energy, and therefore
without raising the temperature; the heat required for

evaporation is supplied by the humidified air, which

consequently is cooled.
These devices create a large interface surface between the air
and water in the liquid state, on which a thin layer of saturated
vapour forms, with a partial pressure equal to the saturation
pressure at the temperature of the liquid.
If this pressure is greater than the partial pressure of the water
vapour present in the air, as occurs when the water temperature
is higher than the dew point of the air and the air is not
saturated, there is a pressure gradient that brings about the
progressive evaporation of the liquid at the expense of the
sensible heat of the water and the air.
This principle is used by atomising humidifiers, which generate
very small droplets whose diameters are in the order of
millionths of a metre. These droplets have a huge surface area,
meaning the water is rapidly evaporated. Every 1 kg of water
split into droplets with a diameter of 10 micrometres has a
surface area of 600 square metres!
The main advantages of atomising (adiabatic) humidifiers are:
very low electricity consumption: high pressure systems need
less than 4 Watts per kg/h of capacity, against the 750W of
steam humidifiers
high capacity: the capacity can range from just a few kg/h (for
example, humiSonic has a minimum capacity of 0.5 kg/h) to
thousands of kg/h (humiFog)
very low maintenance, in particular when supplied with
demineralised water

In the past, adiabatic humidifiers were not used in applications

that required very high hygiene, mainly because they
recirculated the water. Today, on the other hand, the more
advanced adiabatic humidifiers have a high absorption
efficiency (ratio between the water absorbed by the air and the
amount sprayed) and therefore do not recirculate the water. In
addition, stagnation of water is avoided through periodical
washing and emptying cycles, the use of demineralised water
and bacteriostatic materials. Humifog, for example, has been
certified by the Berlin air hygiene institute as being compliant
with the strictest hygiene regulations, specifically VDI6022.
Adiabatic humidifiers are increasingly used for energy saving
applications: direct or indirect evaporative cooling in air
handling units, or alternatively directly into rooms, with very
low electricity consumption bringing considerable cooling of the
air using simple water.

Applications:
Wine industry process.
Even the wine industry must therefore make use of systems for
the control of the key features of the environment, in order to
achieve the best results and ensure product competitiveness in a
global market.
If during the refining process the air humidity level is too low,
there is the risk that part of the wine can evaporate through the
barrels, resulting in substantial losses, which in a two-year
period may arrive at 15% of the volume!! This percentage of
product that evaporates, which in specific jargon is called "the

angels' share", results in a substantial economic loss for the wine

producers, which could be considerably limited by careful
control of the humidity.
Carel offers a wide range of humidifiers, both steam and
adiabatic, with various capacities and operation modes. The
adiabatic systems, in particular, are the cutting edge solutions for
humidification. It is a reliable, accurate and energy saving
technology, as its operation is based on spraying water into
millions of tiny droplets that evaporate spontaneously into the
air, humidifying and cooling it. Their energy consumption is
very low, barely 4W per litre of sprayed water for the most
efficient systems, less than 1% compared to the consumption of
an ordinary steam humidifier!

Textile industry:
In the textile industry, keeping the relative humidity of the air
within preset limits improves the efficiency of the process and
ensures the best quality of the finished product. In fact, the air
humidity level affects the properties of the yarn and its
workability
When the air is too dry, the fibers lose their elasticity, are
thinner, fragile and tend to break; friction also increases, which
limits the sliding of the fibers on the machine. This can cause
machine downtime, require manual interventions and therefore
result in a productivity reduction.
Keeping humidity within preset levels also helps reduce the
amount of dust in the air. This improves the quality of the
environment where the products are processed or stored,
eliminating the risk of small dust puffs clogging the moving
structures.

A proper level of humidity eliminates the risk of static electricity

build-up, which makes the processing of the material more
difficult and which may even cause damage to the equipment.
An equally important fact is that excessively dry air favors the
shrinkage of the fabric. Maintaining humidity constant allows
for achieving greater reliability in cutting and for complying
with the size specifications, which is critical for example in the
carpets' manufacturing.
In some cases the textile machinery develops a lot of heat, which
causes an undesired ambient temperature rise. In this regard, the
adiabatic systems are the optimal technology, as they allow for
the simultaneous cooling and humidification of the air.
Carel offers a wide variety of steam and adiabatic humidifiers,
in a wide range of capacities and characteristics. The adiabatic
humidifiers, in particular, operate by atomizing water in millions
of tiny droplets that evaporate spontaneously, absorbing the heat
from the air. They are reliable and energy saving systems; the
most efficient ones hardly consume 4W per litre of atomized
water.

Other applications:
Wood industry
Tobacco industry
Printing industry
Agriculture & food industry