In cold storage facilities where temperature typically dominates operational concerns, moisture has emerged as the primary threat to safety, efficiency, and profitability. According to Clayton Settle, Project Manager at Eldridge, humidity represents a silent saboteur that undermines cold storage operations despite often being overlooked in facility design and management. Cold storage environments operating between 0°F and 40°F don't create humidity but rather amplify existing moisture problems.
When warm, moist air infiltrates these controlled environments, three critical issues emerge: frost accumulation on cooling coils that insulates equipment and reduces efficiency, icing and fogging hazards that create dangerous working conditions, and energy waste from frequent defrost cycles and latent heat removal. The dew point, rather than simple temperature readings, determines success in cold storage design according to industry experts. Eldridge engineers are employing psychrometric charts to model and control air's thermodynamic properties, fundamentally changing how industrial facilities approach humidity management.
By plotting dry-bulb, wet-bulb, and dew point temperatures, engineers can visualize precisely when and where condensation or frost will form, enabling them to design ventilation and dehumidification systems that maintain air safely below its dew point. This approach transforms humidity control from reactive problem-solving to proactive engineering. In a recent application, Eldridge modeled outside air conditions of 94°F dry-bulb and 78°F wet-bulb against a 35°F cold storage environment.
The resulting 90-grains-per-pound moisture differential guided precise sizing of desiccant dehumidifiers, effectively preventing frost formation while ensuring both safety and energy efficiency. This methodology allows facility managers to identify high-risk zones, reduce maintenance cycles, and protect workers before hazards materialize. The psychrometric chart has evolved from classroom diagram to practical blueprint for modern cold-chain management. By understanding air behavior in advance through tools available at https://www.eldridgeusa.com/industrial-ventilation, companies can transition from reacting to humidity problems to preventing them entirely through smarter engineering approaches that prioritize comprehensive air management over simple temperature control.
