The POWER of DESICCANT DRYING

5/21/2017 (Permalink)

A large desiccant at work drying a warehouse.

 At SERVPRO of San Leandro we have both cold “coil dehumidifiers” and “desiccant dehumidifiers.” Having one or more desiccants are the benchmark of a professional mitigation company.

Desiccant-Based Dehumidification is an interesting topic. Most people are aware of “cold-coil” dehumidification, which removes moisture from the air by condensing the moisture onto a cold surface. Desiccant dehumidification relies on adsorption or absorption power of desiccants, which are substances that attract

water-vapor molecules from the air. They rely on adsorptive or absorptive process. Adsorption refers to a desiccant that does not change phase as it collects airborne moisture. Most adsorbents are solids; familiar examples include activated alumina, silica gel, and zeolites (molecular sieves). We see these packed in electronics cartons.

In water damage drying application, desiccant machines are designed to collect moisture on a rotating wheel coated with solid desiccant material. As damp air passes through one section of the wheel the desiccant on that section adsorbs water vapor, making the air drier than when it entered. Wheel rotation then exposes the moisture-laden desiccant to a “regenerating” air stream that strips the captured moisture away from the desiccant (desorption). The wheel rotates to the damp air collection port and it is ready to adsorb more moisture from in coming air.

At SERVPRO we have dozens of cold “coil dehumidifiers” and a couple of commercial “desiccant dehumidifiers.” That’s one more reason we are proud to be an experienced and professional mitigation company capable of helping commercial clients. SERVPRO of San Leandro 510-352-2480