STATE-OF-THE-ART DEHUMIDIFICATION COST-EFFECTIVE CORROSION CONTROL

Moisture-induced corrosion significantly degrades equipment readiness and increases life cycle and maintenance support costs. Corrosion can be in the form of rust, water stains, mold, mildew or other types of organic and inorganic degradation. Corrosion reduces productivity - of people and of resources. The most effective corrosion prevention technology is environment modification, i.e., dehumidification. The use of "Dry Air" to preserve and protect various materials has been in practice for thousands of years. Natural dehumidification by locating in a dry climate is frequently an optimal solution. Traditional desiccant liquids or granules have been used in military and commercial applications since World War II. The current state-of-the-art in dehumidification technology is known as the Desiccant Wheel (DEW). DEW equipment is relatively small, simple to operate, cost-effective and self-rejuvenating. The desiccant-impregnated honeycomb constructed wheel reduces the relative humidity of air, which is then ducted to operational equipment, thereby preventing corrosion and mildew by removing the prime catalyst - moisture. This paper introduces DEW dehumidification technology (dry air) as a technique to eliminate the effects of corrosion on operational equipment.