So what's the deal with humidification? Generally, there are two ways to humidify - with steam and with treated water. Which one is more energy efficient and why?
So what's the deal with humidification? In general, there are two methods of humidification - using steam and using treated water. Which one is more energy-efficient and why?
From thermodynamics, we know that air transformations are "state functions." This means that only the initial and final parameters of the transformation are important, not the path by which the transformation occurs. This knowledge is very important because it quickly allows us to draw one significant conclusion - since steam humidification leads to the same endpoint as adiabatic humidification, from an energetic point of view, both methods of humidification are IDENTICAL, because the enthalpy difference in both cases is the same. So what is the secret to the cost-effectiveness of adiabatic humidification? The answer is very simple - the cost of 1 kWh of energy that we use for humidification. Usually, in a steam humidifier, we use electric heaters to produce steam, while in an adiabatic humidifier, after the humidification process, we heat the air to the final point using a water heater, where the heating agent is supplied from a circulation loop, a heat node, or a heat pump. Approximately, the price of 1 kWh produced from gas is 3 times cheaper than 1 kWh produced from electric energy. And that's the whole secret. If a steam humidifier uses gas instead of electric heaters, then the prices will be roughly equal and there will be no difference between the two methods of humidification.
Of course, this analysis is based solely on the cost-effectiveness in terms of energy costs. For a complete picture of the situation, investment costs should also be analyzed, but that is material for a new post...
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