Steam humidifiers protect films and paintings in new Derby arts centre
Control of relative humidity in the art gallery, art stores and cinema projection rooms in the new Derby Quad is provided by three resistive steam humidifiers supplied by JS Humidifiers. These Neptronic SKE humidifiers supply steam to air-handling units.
The recently opened £11 million Derby Quad combines an art gallery, cinema, cafe bar and workshops to produce a central hub for arts and culture in the region. The humidifiers were installed by M&E contractor Balfour Kilpatrick.
The Quad requires close control of air temperature and humidity in the projection room to preserve the film media and in the art gallery and art stores for the paintings. The humidity has to be maintained at a consistent 45 to 55% in the art gallery over the initial 12 months that the Quad is opened to satisfy the requirements of the insurance company for displaying valuable exhibits.
These humidifiers can control RH to ±1% when used with RO water and ±2% when used with mains water. The tight control results from the self-cleaning heating elements resisting the build-up of limescale and therefore delivering consistent heat to the water. They do not have disposable boiling cylinders, so they are much cheaper to maintain than electrode boiler humidifiers. Instead, the Neptronic SKE has a stainless-steel evaporation chamber where limescale collects after falling from the scale-resistant heating elements. The chambers are easily drained, disconnected and emptied of limescale.
