Textile Humidification
Textiles in General
In the days when cave man ruled the world, people were dressing with animal fur to protect themselves from the elements.
Nowadays we are far beyond that point and a wide range of natural as well as synthetic fibers have widely replaced animal fur.
The modern textile industry that we know today, grew out of the industrial revolution in the 18th Century as mass production of clothing became a mainstream industry.
To handle the huge demand of textile today, sophisticated machines that can produce impressive quantities were developed. Up to one square meter of denim per minute for example.
To get the most out of these high performance spinning, twisting or weaving machines a constant environment and a well-conditioned fiber is crucial! That’s where humidity and temperature measurement plays an important role.
Why the Need to Measure Humidity?
Controlling humidity in the textile industry is essential for many factors. A too dry or unbalanced environment will have the following negative effects on product and process:
Static Electrification
Dry materials create more friction and are more prone to static electrification. Higher humidity reduces static problems and makes materials more manageable increasing machine speeds.
Regain
Dry air causes lower regain and this contributes to poor quality and lower productivity. By humidifying, the materials are kept at optimum regain and are less prone to break-age, heating and friction effects, they handle better, have fewer imperfections, are more uniform and feel better.
Yarn Strength
Yarns with low moisture con-tent are weaker, thinner, more brittle and less elastic.
Fabric Shrinkage
Low humidity causes fabric shrinkage. Maintained humidity permits greater reliability in cutting and fitting during garment creation and contributes to the maintenance of specification where dimensions are important, such as in the carpet industry.
Product Weight
Textile weights are standardized at 60%rH and 20°C (68°F). Maintaining humidity will ensure low product weights don’t lead to lowered profits.
Dust
Humidification reduces fly and micro dust, providing a healthier and more comfortable working environment.
What Solution Can Rotronic Offer?
The heart of the humidity measurement comes the Rotronic capacitive foil sensor: HygroMer IN-1.
The AirChip3000 is the brains: combining an ASIC, a microcontroller and an EE-PROM memory all in one.
AirChip3000 advantages:
- Relative humidity, temperature and dew point outputs
- Can store 2’000 points
- Sensor self test function
And much, much more…
Rotronic Products:
Humidity and temperature probes:
HC2-IM Series -100…200°C, 0…100%rh, Ø15mm, ±0.8%rh and ±0.1K…
HC2-IC Series -100…200°C, 0…100%rh, Ø15mm, ±0.8%rh and ±0.1K…
HC2-S -50…100°C, 0…100%rh, Ø15mm, ±0.8%rh and ±0.1K…
Transmitter:
HF5 series For interchangeable probes, 2 or 3/4 wire configuration, Various analogue and digital outputs, Display, All psychrometic calculations available…
HF7 series Stainless steel probe, -100…200°C, 3/4 wire configuration, Various analogue outputs, Display…
Handheld Instrument:
HP22 For interchangeable probes, High accurate relative humidity and temperature measurement, Dew point and other psychrometric calculations, Display
HP23 Same functionality as HP22 plus: two interchangeable probes, 20,000 data point memory with real-time clock, Data capture of 250 data points each for up to 8 defined locations
Customer Benefits:
Accuracy:
Choosing Rotronic gives you the best accuracy on the market. Precise humidity measurements enable the HVAC controller to maintain a constant and stable clime. Due to the fast reaction time of our sensor, the humidifier or dehumidifier is only working for the minimum time needed to establish the de-sired environment. In addition to a stable and not over-shooting system, you energy consumption to maintain the room climate will decrease significantly.
Communication:
Networking with Rotronic is an easy affair! With all of the different communication methods, from conventional analogue output signals to RS-485, Wireless or Ethernet RJ45, Rotronic can provide the needed interface to your DDC or building automation system.
Long Term Stability:
With a long term stability of under 1% rh per year (depending on the environment), Rotronic offers the possibility to “plug & play”: install the device and leave it. We would recommend frequent spot checks in-between calibrations.
Calibration:
In order to calibrate humidity measurement devices, we can offer a factory calibration certificate or even an SCS certificate if this is required. We can also supply a humidity and temperature genera-tor, the HG2-S as well as unsaturated salts for on-site calibration.
Source: Rotronic