Two Temp-Air 30-ton air conditioners interfacing with a TH-4000 desiccant dehumidifier provide cool, dry air to a Foldcraft manufacturing facility in Kenyon, Minn. (Photo courtesy of Temp-Air.)

Too hot, actually.

Foldcraft has spray booth areas where urethane sealers are applied to the finished furniture products. These areas need to maintain a 45 degree F dew point with a 70 degree F temperature or else the sealer becomes contaminated from the moisture in the air and bubbles.

When some problems were discovered, the company knew it had to address and resolve the issue. It contacted Temp-Air, headquartered in Burnsville, Minn. Since 1965, the company has been providing temporary and portable heating, cooling, and dehumidifying services to a variety of industries across the nation.

Temp-Air engineers put together a system that includes two 30-ton air conditioners and one desiccant dehumidifier. The units are interfaced and "speak" to each other when the heat is really on. By interfacing two THPAC-30 air conditioning units and one TD-4000 desiccant unit, low-temperature, cooled air is introduced into the space, keeping the temperature and dew point at low levels.

In this setup, one THPAC-30 cools the space until the dew point gets too high. When the dew point and temperature are exceeded, the other THPAC-30 starts up and blows cooled air through the TD-4000 desiccant wheel unit, creating super-dry, cooled air into the space.

Foldcraft has been so pleased with the process, it has been using it for three consecutive years - from May through November.

Publication date: 07/11/2005