MiniClima for climate control in museum display cabinets and artefact showcases

Description The miniClima EBC can only be used for climate control in museum display cabinets, showcases and containers that are classified as air and steam tight. At about the same size as a large shoe box, the combined dehumidifier and humidifier unit is easily hidden from view in a separate compartment within the display showcase. The museum showcase or cabinet is connected to the miniClima EBC using two flexible hoses, forming an airtight recirculation system. Air is extracted from the case into the EBC where it is conditioned before being fed back into the cabinet. By default the whole process takes place without mixing system air with ambient air. The sensor monitors both temperature and relative humidity and is mounted discreetly inside the display case. Once set in operation, the EBC continuously monitors the condition inside the showcase. If the measured RH value deviates from the required value (set point), the appropriate action is immediately initiated ie: dehumidification by condensing or humidification by evaporation. Condensate from the dehumidification process is added to the unit's integral 500 ml water bottle which also provides the reservoir for the humidification process. The modes of operation "humidification" and "dehumidification" are indicated on the control panel visual display. Should the set value not be reached within a pre-set time, an alarm is activated. In addition to the integral alarm display on the panel, external remote alarm signalling is available using the potential free contact, thus providing the user with the possibility to install external alarming notification. The reset button quits the external alarm. There are currently two size EBC’s available (master units):- Model EBC 10 - for sealed cabinets not exceeding 3m³ Model EBC 11 - for sealed cabinets not exceeding 5m³ If the volume of a cabinet exceeds the capacity of a single unit (master), further units (slaves) can be added to the system to increase the performance up to the level required. A slave unit is controlled by it's associated master unit. Each device is delivered ready to install, complete with all necessary hoses, hose connections, cables and a detailed installation and operation manual (electronic format).

Datalogger The miniClima data logger is now an integral part of the control system. Our new computer software program ‘miniClima EBC tool’ is supplied free of charge with each order and allows up to 15,000 values to be stored and accessed. Users can check for alarm events or changes to the control settings, as well as live monitoring of measured values.

Description pdf

Air-Tight Air Change Rate can be taken as a measurement of the air-tightness of a showcase. The Air Change Rate is the amount of inside air that leaks (without being forced by mechanical means) out of the case and is therefore exchanged with ambient air over a defined period of time. An Air Change Rate of 1/10 per day means that a showcase will have exchanged 10% of it's internal air with ambient air over a 24 hour period, or in other words - the case "may" exchange all of it's internal air with ambient air every 10 days. Realistic values for modern showcases are Air Exchange Rates of 1/5 to 1/6 per day - which is also the recommended range for the use of our devices. It might be possible to use miniClima on showcases with higher Air Exchange Rates than 20%, but the user should be aware that a lot of the work carried out by the device will be lost to the environment. It is not possible to give a definitive answer to the question of when the point is reached where the use of the miniClima becomes useless. Too many factors (and their interactions) play an eminent role in humidity regulation, e.g. the ambient conditions or the tightness against the diffusion of moisture vapour, called "steam-tightness", which is discussed below. It is possible that a showcase may be constructed extremely air-tight, but because of materials used it is not "steam-tight" and may therefore be unsuitable for humidity control using the miniClima. Steam-Tight Unlike air-tightness, where exchange of air as a whole is the problem, the steam-tightness refers to the sealing of the showcase material against diffusion or permeance of moisture vapour. Brick or stone, and most woods do have a humble steam-tightness; metal foils, glass and some synthetic plastics provide better values. Without wanting to restrict the use of certain materials when using our equipment, it is essential to know (as it is with air-tightness) that the more a showcase meets the criteria of being designed steam-tight, the sooner and more likely one will end up with a working system. Once a (case-specific) value is exceeded, all efforts to control the humidity level will become fruitless.