Why Power Stations Hire Dehumidifiers

The option to use dehumidifiers for hire is something many electricity-generating power stations across the UK take, during both planned and unplanned maintenance periods (when power station components are vulnerable to corrosion), and emergency call-outs.

Renting dehumidifiers can prove an ideal and invaluable alternative for UK power station managers, in fact, as decay to equipment at coal, gas, oil and nuclear power stations during shutdowns can result in delayed restart times, something that could cost hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost production, as well as leaving millions of homes without power.

Leased dehumidifiers from a specialist dehumidifier hiring company can be on site and operational quickly, and can prove a more cost-effective choice compared to investing in permanently-situated dehumidifiers (that may only be used intermittently).

What dehumidifiers do
Dehumidifying machines control moisture and prevent the development of damp, mould, condensation and unwanted water pools in buildings. Hireable dehumidifiers, which are efficient at taking moisture out of the air, can be used in commercial, industrial and domestic settings, to maintain desired humidity levels.

In a power station environment, dehumidifiers for hire can play a vital role in essential processes, such as: re-circulating dry air through turbines and steam condensers, keeping insulation resistance low in generators, and maintaining dry conditions through boilers.

As well as during repairs, servicing and upgrading of equipment (boilers, turbines, pumps and valves, etc.), dehumidifiers can be used when a power station is due a major clean or repaint.

Dehumidifier types
The two most common types of rented dehumidifier used at power stations are:

1. Powerful refrigerant dehumidifiers: these robust, economical and energy-efficient machines can handle up to 890 litres dehumidification capacity a day, delivering high levels of drying power. In a British climate this typically provides keep-dry areas up 13,600m3 and dry out areas up to 6,400m3.
And…

2. Desiccant dehumidifiers: these use moisture-absorbing materials a little like silica gel, and are used when very low relative humidity is needed. Desiccant materials have a high affinity for adsorbing water vapour – up to 10,000 m3/hr, in fact.

Unexpected power station closures
Power stations can suddenly shut for all manner of reasons…

In January 2010, the (coal-fired) Kingsnorth Power Station in Kent was forced to close after a fire broke out in one of its pump rooms. (Source: BBC Website) Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the 1,974 megawatt capacity power station (supplying power to 1.5 million homes) was forced to remain shut until it was deemed safe.

Bizarrely, in June this year, parts of Torness (Nuclear) Power Plant in East Lothian were closed down after huge numbers of jellyfish were found entering the Plant through its seawater filters (Source: Set You Free News Website). The Plant had been forced to close earlier in the year, in fact, due to a technical fault (Source: BBC Website).

In the past, where power stations have closed for periods due to moisture damage that has occurred during planned maintenance (forcing longer closure, therefore), this could surely be described as "inexcusable", as in such situations hired dehumidifiers could have been relied upon to maintain required humidity levels throughout.

What a dehumidifier rental expert can do
Typically, power stations need to be able to call on a dehumidifier leasing specialist 24/7, and all-year-round. Reliability really is the key word; reliability in terms of: team response, advice, skills, and supplied equipment (the correct equipment for the job, and nothing less).

In response to an emergency call, the dehumidifier hire team will arrive on site and assess the:

- Client’s application
- Local conditions
- Site access
- Available power supply
- Desired relative humidity and temperature, and
- Any other factors that would affect the final dehumidification solution

Experts in dehumidifier rental will know exactly which dehumidifier is best for the job at hand, creating the stable, dry environment needed to prevent corrosion (and/or other damage).

The aforementioned factors could also be assessed during a site survey that is part of a contingency plan – a plan that has been part-formulated (during power station ‘up time’) by a specialist dehumidifier hire company experienced in providing portable yet highly-effective dehumidification solutions to power stations and plants of all sizes and types.

Finally, dehumidifiers for hire not only perform brilliantly in planned and unplanned situations; they can also help to ensure a longer life for power station components and auxiliary equipment overall, which can only be beneficial to long-term cost control!

Article submitted by Steve Reeve, Sales Director at Andrews Sykes. Andrews Sykes is the UK's largest specialist dehumidification hire company, with over 25 years’ experience. The company serves virtually all industry sectors using machinery sourced from the world’s top manufacturers.