miniClima [Terms & Definitions]

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Terms & Definitions

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Air-Tight
Steam-Tight
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Air-Tight

The so-called Air Change Rate can be taken as a measure for the air-tightness of a showcase. The Air Change Rate is the amount of the inside air that (without being forced to it by technical means) leaks off the case and is therefore exchanged to outside air during a defined period of time.

An Air Change Rate of 1/10 per day therefore means, that a showcase will have exchanged 10% of its inside air with the environmental air outside the case within 24 hours; or in other words: The case "may" change all of its air every 10 days against outside air.

We recommend to use showcases built as tight as possible, of course, where an air change of 1/10 per day can be regarded as a good point of reference. It might be possible to use miniClima Constant Humidity Devices at showcases with even higher Air Exchange Rates than 20%, but the user should be aware of the fact that a lot of the work carried out by the device will be lost to the environment.

It is not possible, though, to give a generally valid answer to the question of when the point is reached where the use of the units becomes aimless. Too many factors (and their interactions) play an eminent role in humidity regulation, e.g. the ambient conditions or the tightness against the diffusion of the humidity, called "steam-tightness", which is discussed below.

Steam-Tight

Unlike the air-tightness, where the discharge of the air as a whole is the problem, the steam-tightness points at the sealing of the case walls against a diffusion - or seep through - of the air-humidity alone. Brick- or stonewalls, or mostly wood do have a humble steam-tightness; metal foils, glass and some synthetics provide good values.

Without wanting to tie anyone down to the use of certain materials when using our equipment, it is essential to know (as it was with the air-tightness): The more a showcase meets the criteria of being designed steam-tight, the sooner/more likely one will end up with a working system. And once a (case-specific) value is reached, all efforts to control the humidity level will become fruitless.

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