MeeFog Maintains Proper Humidity in Press Hall, Reel Room & Roll Storage Area

The continued growth of the Milwaukee area prompted the Journal Sentinel to expand their printing and distribution capabilities in 2000. The original design called for gas-fired humidifiers to be installed on all of the air handlers serving the press hall, roll prep, reel room and mail room. The GTS (gas-to-steam) humidifiers proved to be expensive to operate and difficult to maintain in an operational condition. Maintaining proper humidity control is critical for press operation and post-printing handling.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Johnson Controls (JCI) is the site manager for building maintenance and operations and they called on MeeFog to assist them in designing an in-space humidification system that would provide the humidity control they desired in an energy efficient manner.

New System Design:

In-space humidification systems utilize 1000 psi water that is passed through specially designed nozzles that atomize the water into billions of super-fine water droplets which are then injected directly into the space for 100% absorption efficiency.
The building has distinct areas that require humidity control. The press hall, reel room, roll prep and mail room are all sensitive to moisture levels. The humidity load in each area is high and it is imperative that the system maintains the humidity set point. JCI wanted two highpressure pumps for redundancy configured so the Johnson Controls Metasys system could switch them over automatically for run time balance and failure mode redundancy.

“Annual energy savings compared to the gas-to-steam humidifiers that were replaced is in excess of $75,000. This project qualified for a “Focus On Energy” grant from the State of Wisconsin in excess of $45,000.”

The Installation:

The two MeeFog pumps are interconnected and isolated from each other with check valves. In the event of a failure of a pump, the redundant pump can be started to maintain the critical areas of the plant at the proper humidity level. Each area is controlled by the Metasys humidity sensors. RO water is delivered to the MeeFog system from the press fountain water treatment system. RO systems remove the minerals from the water and reduce routine maintenance on the system. The Roll Prep room has a single control zone, The Press Room and Reel Room have four zones each. The Mail Room is a two zone-system.

Cost-Benefit Analysis:

The total electrical load for this system is 3.75 kW with a total capacity of 2200 lbs/hr. Annual energy savings compared to the gas to steam humidifiers that were replaced is in excess of $75,000. This project qualified for a “Focus On Energy” grant from the State of Wisconsin in excess of $45,000.