Commercial and Industrial Uses of Hygrometers
Industrial uses of hygrometers include meteorological monitoring, automating manufacturing processes in photographic film, pharmaceuticals and steel production, monitoring environments in museums, storage vaults and clean rooms, environmental testing, product research and measuring water vapor in plant air, automotive exhaust and curing ovens. Small, portable devices, wall units, decorative brass hygrometers and freestanding equipment provide accurate readings in production rooms, server rooms, secure storage areas, greenhouses and indoor and outdoor sports training areas. Wall hygrometers provide temperature and humidity readings and can be used efficiently in plant nurseries, greenhouses, offices and food-storage areas. Some specific uses for hygrometers in industry include the following applications:
- Polyethylene production
Excess moisture in polyethylene production decreases yields, so checking ethylene feed lines for moisture is critical for maximum production.
- Hydrogen-cooled generators
Moisture is considered a contaminant that increases hydrogen viscosity and decreases heat capacity in stationary generators.
- Liquefaction of natural gas
Trace amounts of water can compromise the process of gas liquefaction by generating hydrates and ice that damage compressors.
- Breathing applications
The military, fire departments and medical community need to ensure that breathing apparatuses are safe and that moisture doesn’t form ice to block breathing lines.
- Food packaging
Foods that are warped in foil have longer shelf lives when the air that is trapped between food and foil is replaced with low-moisture nitrogen.
- Compressor system instrumentation
Humidity in gases used for blanketing sensitive instruments causes corrosion, faster changes in instruments needing calibration and degraded sensitivity.
- Natural gas lines
Moisture in gas lines can cause pipelines and valves to freeze or contaminate the system with hydrates of liquid hydrocarbons.
- Injection molding
Testing for humidity in the air that is used to dry plastic pellets helps to prevent blemishes, cloudy appearances and weakened structural integrity.
- Coatings industry
Coatings used in construction are sensitive to the dew point and humidity. Incorrect climate during treatment can lead to premature failure of coatings and paint and cause blemishes in surfaces.
Temperature and humidity are critical to improve hatch rates. Get best results by keeping humidity between 50 and 55 percent until the last three days when ambient moisture should measure between 65 and 70 percent.