Dehumidification system saves energy, reduces damage

Problem
A municipal water treatment facility in Tonawanda, N.Y., was experiencing problems with inadequate humidity control inside the pipe galleries, resulting in significant maintenance issues with the pipes and auxiliary devices. Moisture would condense, causing corrosion, and drip onto instruments, valves, filter equipment and wiring.

Solution
Kathabar Dehumidification Systems provided a liquid desiccant dehumidification system that controls the humidity in the galleries, maintaining the dew point lower than the temperature of the water in the pipes. It operates by absorbing the water vapor from the air with a liquid desiccant, continuously circulated through a heat exchanger and cooled by a modulated flow of river water. The system checks the temperature of the water and automatically adjusts the air conditions to provide a dew point that eliminates condensation.

Result
The system keeps the pipe galleries dry year round. Its controllability allows the plant to maintain the proper air conditions, eliminate maintenance problems and save energy. 716/875-2000; www.kathabar.com.

Generators provide power for system with frequent power outages

Problem
The Rathbun Regional Water Association (RRWA), a provider of water to southeast Iowa, is charged with keeping 36 water towers full in a rural area that suffers frequent power outages. “When power is lost, the water from a tower keeps flowing, but a clock starts ticking on how soon each tower will run out,” says Rod Witt, RRWA in Centerville, Iowa. “Some towers last a day or longer, while others need to be replenished in just a few hours.”

Solution
“We essentially have 36 different countdown clocks, one for each water tower, based on water levels and projected usage,” says Witt. Four towable 200 kW Kohler Power Systems generators are moved strategically among 39 pump stations throughout the Rathbun distribution area. They run for a few hours to top off a water tower, then are transported to the next pump station.

Result
The generators have performed flawlessly in several large power outages, including a 2007 ice storm that coated the area with up to 2 inches of ice, snapping several thousand power poles, and keeping power down for more than a week. 800/544-2444; www.kohlerpower.com.