Precision Remote Humidity Control in Enclosed Chamber Meeting Diverse Research Challenges
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GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 White Paper Precision Remote Humidity Control in Enclosed Chamber Meeting Diverse Research Challenges The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 Contents Summary 2 Humidity Chambers; Usage and Requirements 3 Device Architecture 4 Working Principles 5 Example Applications Particle Acceleration Studies 8 Material Science 8 Microchips and Electronics 9 Silicon Wafer Production 9 Fuel Cell Testing 10 Photovoltaic Cells 11 Ambient Particle Resuspension 11 Tissue Culture 11 Shelf-Life Studies 12 Customized Design for Specific Research Needs 12 Conclusion 12 Further Information 12 References 13 The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 Summary This white paper presents the working principles and use cases of miniaturized humidity chambers in research and development. As the world approaches the fourth industrial revolution, there is increasing demand for more advanced research tools and methods to meet the needs of modern industries. Miniaturized systems that provide efficient resource utilization while providing excellent precision have become more attractive options for researchers and manufacturers. Furthermore, Industry 4.0 calls for better synergy between academia and industry for the development of tools and equipment that aid in the development of technologies and theories that in turn aid the advancement of the industries. To this effect, this white paper presents the working principles, and existing application of a newly developed Remote Humidity and Temperature Control System by GEO Calibration in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy. This paper represents the industry-leading standard for a miniaturized controlled environment that researchers need to generate reliable and reproducible results. The need for controlled humidity and temperature in an enclosed chamber cuts across several industries from food to electronics, some of which are presented herein. The applications presented here albeit not exhaustive, provide readers with a rich insight into the capabilities of GEO Calibration’s Hygro-Remote and how the miniaturized humidity chamber can support diverse research studies and data acquisition. The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 Humidity Monitoring and Control; Usage and Requirements Humidity monitoring and control is a key requirement in many industries. In the wake of the fourth Industrial Revolution, nearly every industry is being transformed by the shift to a data-driven approach to everything. The pharmaceutical industry makes use of humidity chambers for the storage of drugs and vaccines to retain their potency. In microelectromechanical systems manufacturing, silicon wafers production, electronics fabrication, and much more; humidity is one of the key parameters that must be controlled to prevent moisture damage to sensitive processes and parts. Temperature control accompanies humidity control according to the thermodynamic principles. The humidity chamber maintains a specified humidity by maintaining a constant dew point and a fixed temperature of the air. How effectively this is achieved depends on the actuation and control systems integrated into the system as well as other features such as chamber design. The ambient conditions will inevitably vary over the duration of testing of products within the chamber. The task of the humidity chamber is therefore to mitigate against these environmental variations and maintain the chamber within the set point. An effective control system does this with very minimal deviation from the setpoint over the duration of testing which can vary from minutes to several weeks. The Hygro-Remote employs proportional integral derivative (PID) control technology programmed to effectively regulate the system parameters. Timely feedback loops with quick response humidify and dehumidify the chamber using quick response actuators and optimally designed circuitry. Geo Calibration offers a wide range of humidity control chambers that are aimed at meeting diverse industry needs. The Hygro-Remote is specifically targeted at meeting the research needs of academia and industry. Small sample size, ease of operation, data collection, and efficiency are prioritized in the development of the Hygro-Remote. Simulating specific environmental conditions is often required for the storage of products or to house processes. This can be to either provide a stable condition to carry out real- life or experimental operations or to store products at optimal conditions to prolong shelf life and function. Moisture content in the air can be transferred into the product if a moisture gradient exists between the environment and the product. In perishable products such as foods, cosmetics and drugs increased moisture content can accelerate microbial growth hence reducing the shelf life. Increased moisture content also affects the structural integrity of materials. Polymers are an example of this. The polymer chains interact with water and/or water permeates into the void spaces within the polymer secondary structure. The presence of moisture alters the physical structure of the polymeric material. Increased moisture content in the presence of oxygen also promotes the degradation of metals which leads to rusting. Similarly, excessively reduced moisture content can lead to brittleness and undesirable evacuation of moisture from products that can adversely affect their functionality and physical integrity. Such consequences of altered humidity are undesirable. The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 In research, the development of theories and products calls for a well-controlled environment to understand how each factor affects the outcome of experiments. Often precise control of humidity and temperature is needed. In many cases, hundreds to thousands of experiments must be carried out. This means the consumption of materials, time, and manpower. To minimize the amount of material consumed the test sample size needs to be kept at a minimum. This is particularly important where the materials are expensive, or their synthesis or extraction consumes a lot of time. For such cases, the testing chamber needs to be miniaturized. This small size also has the advantage of more precise measurement and reduced consumption of materials and power. Food processors, life science laboratories, data centers, and manufacturers can all benefit from the remote humidity monitoring and control offered by the Hygro-Remote system. Device architecture The Hygro-Remote is a reach-in system designed to offer precise control of humidity and temperature within a miniaturized chamber. The chamber has a dimension of 2.36 x 2.36 x 1.54 inches. It makes use of an ultrasonic transducer pump for accurate remote humidity control. The Hygro-Remote is accompanied by a 6 x 16.41 x 8.40 inches controller unit. A fan aids the uniform distribution of temperature and humidity within the chamber volume. The small chamber dimension reduces the chances of losses due to factors such as movement of air current or exchange with the surface. The smaller chamber also reduces consumables and energy consumption. The main consumables required are water and desiccants. Warm-up time is a maximum of 30 minutes at standard ambient conditions. The Hygro-Remote can be operated at a wide range of conditions at temperatures between -20 and 50oC and humidity varying between 0 and 95% with an accuracy of +0.10oC and +1% RH. Functionality is therefore not affected by the location of the research laboratory nor is there a need for special conditioning of storage. The Hygro-Remote has a user-friendly interface (Figure 1). A lighted display screen indicates set and actual humidity and temperature in % and oC respectively. The device is powered on and off by an on/off switch. Manual setting of humidity and temperature values is achieved by the “up and “down” buttons while the “next” and “exit” buttons allow switching between humidity and temperature control. A large round rotating button allows easy access to and exchange of the desiccant dryer. The temperature ranges from -10 to 50oC while the humidity can be set between 0 and 95%. The device connects to a computer via a USB port thus allowing for rapid data collection. The Hygro-Remote is accompanied by software that facilitates remote control and data processing through the computer. The humidity chamber is isolated from the controller with remote environmental control. Such design improves the quality of data generated by eliminating the interaction factors which might affect the result. The chamber comprises a fill port and a drain port. These are used to fill in distilled water to the desired level and drain off excess water. It has a 15ml reservoir to be filled with distilled water which is typically refilled weekly, but refill period could vary with usage. A level indicator shows water level and a warning sign lights up when the water level is low. Moisture removal is facilitated by an indicating molecular sieve desiccant which is replaced when it reaches ¾ of its usage level. The ultrasonic chamber is remotely controlled by the Hygro-Remote control system. Temperature control is facilitated by the connected water circulation system. The PID The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 control system is programmed to synchronize the water and airflow, fast response to feedback to regulate the chamber environment within specified set points. Figure 1 labelled image of the Hygro-Remote Humidity system Additional features of the Hygro-Remote humidity control system include low power consumption which allows for studies over long periods while minimizing resource and power consumed. Precision is achieved through accurate PID control that maintains setpoint and uniformity is further aided by the miniaturized chamber volume. The reduced volume allows fast circulation of air around the chamber thus reducing the point-to-point variation of parameters. The standard maintenance and precautions for humidity chambers also apply to the Hygro-Remote system. Using distilled water with good purity helps to prevent degradation of the inner tubing. Ensuring the right water level for proper circulation and avoiding overflow to prevent flooding. Although annual calibration and preventive maintenance are generally recommended. The actual schedule depends on the level of usage of each piece of equipment. The compact design of the Hygro-Remote system adds some space- saving and ease of maintenance. Working principles Humidity generation with good control and precision proves particularly challenging within small volumes that are required for many research studies. The interrelationship between pressure, volume, and temperature of gases makes transportation of humidified and dehumidified air in and out of the chamber through pipes the more challenging. The flow of fluid requires a pressure gradient. However, changes in pressure result in a change in temperature which in turn leads to a change in the dew point of the air. Therefore, moving The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 humidity into the chamber using pipes may cause undesired condensation within the chamber if not well executed. Therefore, remote humidity control becomes necessary for a miniaturized environment. This challenge is met by using an external water circulating system to regulate the temperature by pumping water through channels designed around the chamber body. This approach ensures uniform temperature distribution. The environment within the chamber is thus remotely controlled through quantitative manipulation of parameters outside the chamber. This is done through a series of well- orchestrated programming. The goal of every humidity control system is to maintain humidity at the desired set point. This is often at a set temperature since the temperature also has an effect on the dew point and humidity. The Hygro-Remote, therefore, allows for humidity and temperature control. The system operates on the thermodynamic principles around water transformation from a liquid into the gaseous state and the variable vapor holding capacity of air between 0 and 100% saturation. Since humidity is also a measure of partial pressure ratios, the pressure transducer receives a signal from the air pressure within the chamber. This gets converted into an electrical signal that can be read as a change in pressure by the controller. The controller then makes the necessary adjustment to either the ultrasonic pump to increase humidity or to the saturator to decrease humidity within the chamber. The ultrasonic pump provides precision in the control of humidity within the chamber. It is robust and allows for precise metering for controlled bubbling of air to generate humidity. Another advantage of the ultrasonic pump is that there is no contact or valves required for fluid flow control. The pumping mechanism is facilitated by acoustic streaming. Therefore, it can be used for diverse research applications independent of the chemical composition of the test material or surface. The flow rate is dependent on the quantitative relationship between the characteristics of the acoustic beam and the fluid properties (Cetin et al, 2008). The pump operation is based on the ultrasonic frequency generated by a rigid cylindrical tube. This is resonated through a stepped horn. The transmission of the ultrasonic wave is enhanced by reflection plates for amplification (Yun et al, 2004) such that the remote operation of the Hygro-Remote is facilitated by the contactless ultrasonic pump system. The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 Figure 2. Schematics of the Hygro-Remote humidity system Example Applications The Hygro-Remote system finds a wide range of applicability in R&D. This can also be extended to product sampling and quality testing in the industry. The following sections review some of the existing and potential applications of the Hygro-Remote system. These examples are by no means exhaustive. Through consultation with the engineers at Geo Calibration, the applicability of the Hygro-Remote can be evaluated for each specific research application. Atmospheric plasma Etching studies Plasma etching gives an alternative to other dry etching methods such as focused ion beams which require particle acceleration under vacuum. Particle acceleration is applied in various scientific fields. The technique of accelerating particles can be used to either deposit particles effectively onto a surface or to knock off particles from a surface or perhaps to cause a reaction between or within the accelerated particles. Areas of application include testing the effect of radiation on space electronics, development of radiotherapy for cancer treatment, design of anti-radiation protective gears, ion beams for dry etching in microelectromechanical systems manufacturing process, and many other applications. Atmospheric plasma etching can be carried out without the use of vacuum which lowers the cost and complexity of the set up. Atmospheric plasma etching allows for rapid processing under ambient conditions. Applications include surface modifications of silicon wafers and polymer nanotexturing. Studies have shown that humidity significantly affects the efficiency of plasma etching in nylon 6 films (Gao, 2012). Other studies have also explored the impact of moisture The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 absorption on the effectiveness of atmospheric plasma etching of polyamide (Zhu et al, 2008). The Hygro-Remote can be used in such experiments to create precise humidity within which the etching is carried out or to pretreat the material to be etched prior to plasma etching. Materials Science In many materials laboratories, humidity control is often a requirement. Specific test methods such as aging and fatigue tests require the material being tested to be left in a controlled environment where specific humidity and temperature are maintained for a set period of time. Many material properties are significantly affected by humidity. Some materials are particularly sensitive to humidity while others are more resistant to environmental factors. Materials are exposed to environmental conditions ranging from mild to extreme. The applications of these materials vary widely from high-performance plastics for gear manufacturing to biomaterials used as implants. In the development of new materials, these materials are kept in a controlled environment to analyse the effect of environmental changes on their performance and stability. Examples include the development of bioplastic materials where the materials need to retain their mechanical strength at a given range of usage, humidity and temperature. For instance, the present limitations of bioplastics are that many of them show excellent mechanical properties at low relative humidity, however, when exposed to high humidity they tend to lose their mechanical strength. Adhesive materials are another example where humidity plays a significant role. Various adhesive materials have different mechanisms for adhesion. Moisture-activated adhesives, pressure-activated adhesives, and suction adhesives are some examples. An example application is in dentistry where self-etching adhesives are used as bonding agents to dentin (Finger and Tani, 2002). Such adhesives are required to maintain adhesion regardless of humidity. The humidity resistance of an adhesive is indicated by the change in morphology and/or chemistry at varying relative humidity. Therefore, in the production and testing, humidity chambers are used to study the effect of humidity on the morphology and chemical structure of adhesive materials. In the development of novel materials, often several samples need to be prepared to test the effect of different compositions on the material properties. Where large chambers are used, larger sample sizes would be required to have a reasonable chamber to sample size ratio. Using a small chamber size significantly reduces the number of samples required and effective resource management. Microchips and Electronics Many of the materials used in the production of microchips are humidity and temperature sensitive. The assembly and functioning of microchips are significantly affected by humidity and temperature. Therefore, one of the tests of these microchips is to place them under specific humidity and temperature for a given period of time. The possible The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 defects that can occur due to moisture problems in microchips include corrosion, improper adhesion, and surface condensations (Khanna, 2017). All of which leads to the failure of the microchip. Testing of microchips in humidity chambers serves the purpose of determining the optimal storage and assembly conditions. The humidity chambers are also used to test the storage life of the microchips at the usage condition. Research into alternative materials for microchip production has promising potential in the microchip industries. Such areas include photoresist materials with improved adhesion and circuit materials with anti-corrosion properties. Other electronic devices such as LEDs also are affected by moisture problems (Hoque et al, 2019). The miniature humidity chamber is well suited to the testing of microchips due to their small size. This saves time and costs in preparing multiple chips to fill a large chamber. The size of the chamber relative to that of the microchip also allows for more uniformity of the environment within the chamber. The remote humidity control prevents direct interaction which may affect results that can be affected by vibrations and pipe connections. Silicon Wafer Manufacturing Cleanroom environments are required during the manufacturing and repair of silicon wafers and other semiconductor wafers, such that all stages are carried out within a closed environment where airflow is filtered using HEPA or ULPA filters through the cleanroom. The deposition of particles or condensate on the wafers must be avoided. While the efficiency of the filter must remain high throughout its useful life. Some of the research studies carried out in this area include studying the effect of humidity on the deposition of water vapor on the oxidized and unoxidized silicon (Holysz et al, 2008). Other studies have explored the effect of temperature and humidity on the degradation of silicon crystals (Ando et al, 2016). Typically, silicon wafers are sealed to protect them from the environment. To test the effectiveness of the sealing material and method the sealed wafers are tested in a controlled environment that mimics the range of environment they will get exposed to during their service life. Due to the high cost of these materials and the precision required, such experiments are suited for miniaturized humidity chambers such as the Hygro-Remote. Fuel cell testing In the development and testing of fuel cells, it is important to achieve uniform temperature and humidity distribution amongst other parameters such as pressure. Furthermore, where the humidity is not well controlled, this can result in accumulated water in liquid form. This has an adverse effect on result accuracy. For a long time, the evacuation of water from the testing environment has always been a limitation in the characterization and testing of polymeric electrolyte membrane-based fuel cells (Bednarek and Tsotridis, 2020). With the Hygro-Remote system, the PID control system allows the humidity to be The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 effectively maintained at a set point by timely evacuation of vapor through the desiccants. With the Hygro-Remote system, accurate testing humidity and temperature control are achieved. The ultrasonic system ensures minimal hardware interaction effect on the results. As the demand grows for advanced high power dense appliances and machinery, the need for better performance and durability of fuel cells is also rising. This calls for improvement in testing environment control. The Hygro-Remote offers accurate controlled environmental conditions as far as temperature and humidity are concerned. Photovoltaic cells The energy industry is advancing towards more sustainable energy sources. Solar energy is a leading choice in sustainable energy options. At the research stage, solar cells of sizes under 2 square centimetres are produced under laboratory conditions. Tests that are carried out on these devices include stability tests. It is important to assess if the cells maintain their power conversion efficiency over a given storage period and specific storage conditions. Third-generation solar cells making use of innovative materials such as perovskites and polymers are currently receiving increasing research interest as they come with many advantages. Polymeric solar cells allow for more variable design options due to the increased flexibility where polymer substrates are used. They also offer the possibility of higher efficiency beyond the theoretical 30% limit of the conventional silicon solar cells. Perovskite solar cells are also gaining increasing attention for the exceptionally high efficiency they achieve. One of the limitations of these new-age solar cells is the limited stability. The storage life and stability can be prolonged by maintaining specific humidity and temperature during storage. Using the Hygro-Remote system minimal contact temperature and humidity control can be achieved. Because of the small sample size which is partly due to the components of these solar cells are usually expensive, such solar cells are ideal for testing in the Hygro-Remote humidity control chamber. One of the solutions to combat the degradation of solar cells is to encapsulate the cells within the transparent glass, silicone, or plastic material. The manufacturer then needs to decide the best condition and atmosphere for optimal performance and stability. The Hygro-Remote is a reliable means to test the optimal humidity and temperature to store the cells after preparation. Ambient particle Resuspension The introduction and suspension of particles into the environment from sources are significantly affected by the environmental conditions. The study of particle suspension in the air is relevant in areas such as nuclear facilities management where the spread of radioactive particles from surfaces can occur. Similarly in facilities where there is a likelihood for microbial particles to get suspended in the air from surfaces (Kim et al, 2016). Such studies help in the management and preventive actions to prevent pathogens or harmful particles from getting released into the environment. Recently The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 researchers are looking at applying physics principles to the spread of airborne diseases by studying how humidity affects the suspension of pathogenic particles in the air (Bozic and Kanduc, 2021). Understanding the effect of humidity and temperature on the release of particles from surfaces into the air stream can provide data to advise on optimal humidity and temperature to be maintained in such an environment. Due to the small sizes of these particles and the scale of the experiment, carrying out such studies in miniaturized chambers offer better control and precision. Tissue culture studies The relative humidity influences the growth of plants. It also affects the growth of other microorganisms which either support or hinder plant growth. Research studies have been carried out under controlled humidity and temperature to study several parameters in plant tissue culture (Dalina et al, 2019). One of the limitations in such studies is having accurate control over humidity and temperature. It is important not to expose the tissue culture to other stimuli which might adversely affect the accuracy of the results. The remote monitoring and control offered by the Hygro-Remote system allow for minimal interaction between source and test sample. Furthermore, humidity varies within the tissue culture because of metabolism occurring within the biological system. It has been shown that this change in humidity because of metabolic activity adversely impacts plant growth (Chen et al, 2004). Therefore, the system must be able to maintain effective dehumidification over the course of the experiment. The Hygro-Remote can facilitate such experiments through an adequate controlled humidity environment for tissue cultures. Furthermore, such experiments on living culture take from several hours to days or weeks. It is therefore an added benefit in terms of utility cost that the Hygro-Remote system has a low power requirement of 12V DC at 10A. Shelf-life studies Various aspects of food testing and analysis require controlled humidity and temperature within an enclosed chamber. Food testing and analysis are necessary for shelf-life studies, preservation method development, food properties enhancement, and modification amongst others. One example of the application of humidity and temperature control is in the determination of the sorption isotherm of foods (Arslan and Rul, 2004). The food is placed in an environment with controlled temperature and humidity. Such studies provide data on the moisture absorption and desorption of the food. This helps in package design, formulation recommended shelf life, and storage conditions. Accelerated shelf-life studies can also benefit from the Hygro-Remote system. The shelf life of foods with long storage life can be analysed at accelerated conditions with higher temperature and/or humidity. Accelerating the rate of deterioration allows the food deterioration kinetics to be obtained in less time period. Non-perishable foods can have a shelf life of up to several years. At normal storage conditions, the degradation parameters need to be measured over equally long periods. This costs time and resources. To obtain the degradation kinetics to predict shelf life, elevated temperature and humidity are used. This makes it possible to determine shelf life in a shorter period. Thus, allowing products to get regulatory approval faster. Such is made possible by the simulated environments achieved by humidity chambers. The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 The humidity and temperature of storage affect food properties such as texture and surface appearance. These are important organoleptic factors for customer satisfaction. In designing packaging for processed foods and agricultural produce, manufacturers seek to find the optimal storage condition to preserve or even enhance these properties. With the Hygro-Remote system, a wide range of storage conditions can be tested to 1% relative humidity and 0.10oC accuracy. The miniature sample chamber and sample size required to allow for better efficiency and uniformity. Customized Design for your specific research Application Each research application requires specific requirements to achieve the desired test condition that meets the specimen’s needs. Geo calibration has worked with diverse research groups to develop humidity chambers that can be adapted for a wide variety of R&D requirements. For example, the incorporation of lighting systems that allow for the monitoring of plant tissue culture under specific wavelengths of light. In other examples, the research study may require the variation of the pressure within the chamber. System modifications can be made to allow for variable pressure control in the Hygro- Remote to meet specific research needs. In processes such as food storage, it is often required to study the effect of various gases such as CO2, nitrogen, air, and other mixtures on the food. The Hygro-Remote system can be adapted to incorporate feed for gases to allow testing under different gaseous compositions and conditions. On the other hand, a vacuum might be required as the testing condition. The Hygro-Remote can be adapted to provide a vacuum environment for testing. By consulting with Geo Calibration, the Hygro-Remote can be customized to meet diverse research needs, providing stable and precise conditions to obtain reliable results. Conclusion Humidity chambers have a wide range of applications in several industries. Due to their diverse applicability, they should be seen as a staple for every laboratory. The compact size of the Hygro-Remote alongside its added advantages such as low power consumption and ease of operation makes it convenient and effective for research use. This paper has reviewed the features of the Hygro Remote humidity control system. It presents an overview of its operating principles and device architecture. The different scenarios presented give a rich insight to the diverse range of applications possible with the Hygro-Remote. Further Information To learn more about the Hygro-Remote humidity and temperature control system for your specific research need contact our engineers at Geo Calibration. Website: www.Geocalibration.com Email: brm@GeoCalibration.com Contact: Bruce R. MacArthur Phone: +1 (631) 471 -6157 and +1 (631) 943-1999 The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 Address: 2190 Smithtown Avenue, Ronkonkoma NY 11779 GEO Calibration Inc., designs, manufactures, sells and distributes a wide range of temperature and humidity instruments for research and development, pharma, industrial manufacturing and the calibration service sectors. Our humidity generation, sensors and chamber products continue to be the market leader in accuracy, repeatability, and stability. With over 90 years combined experience in the advanced manufacturing space, our knowledge, design flexibility and instrumentation allow us to offer the correct and cost-effective solution for our customers. GEO Calibration’s growth and success are build on its continued commitment to excellence in quality. References Cetin B, Li D (2008) Ultrasonic pumps. In: Li D (eds) Encyclopedia of Microfluidics and Nanofluidics. Springer, Boston, MA. ISBN 978-0-387-48998-8 Yun C, Hasegawa T, Nakamura K, Ueha S (2004) An ultrasonic suction pump with no physically moving parts. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. 38113611 DOI: 10.1143/JJAP.43.2864 Bednarek T, Tsotridis G (2020) Assessment of the electrochemical characteristics of a Polymer Electrolyte membrane in a reference single fuel cell testing hardware. Journal of Power Sources. 473(228319): 1-12 Arslan N, Rul TH (2004) Modelling of sorption isotherms of macaroni stored in a chamber under controlled humidity and thermodynamic approach. Journal of Food Engineering. 69(2): 133-145 Dalina DU, Sobejana N (2019) Automated relative humidity and temperature control system for banana tissue culture laboratory with a monitoring system and SMS notification. SSRN. 3486070: 1-6 Chen C (2004) Humidity in plant tissue culture vessels. Biosystems Engineering. 88(2): 231-241 Hoque MA, Bradley RK, Fan X (2019) Effect of humidity and phosphor on silicone/phosphor composite in white light-emitting diode package. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics (30) 2047-20478 Khanna VK (2017) Humidity and contamination effects on electronics in Extreme- Temperature and Harsh Environment Electronics; Physics, technology, and applications. Chapter 15: Pp 1 -11. IOP Publishing Ltd Finger WJ, Tani C (2002) Effect of relative humidity on bond strength of self-etching adhesives to dentin. J of Adhesion in Dentistry. 4(4):277 - 282 Kim Y, Wellum G, Mello K, Strawhecker K, Thoms R, Giaya A, Wyslouzil BE (2016) Effect of relative humidity and particle and surface properties on particle resuspension rates. Aerosol Science and Technology. 50(4): 339-352. The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
GEO Calibration, Inc. 2190 Smithtown Avenue Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631)471-6157 Fax: (631) 471-6158 Bozic A, Kanduc M (2021) Relative humidity in droplet and airborne transmission of disease. Journal of Biological Physics. 47: 1-29 Ando T, Shikida M, Sato K (2016) Effect of temperature and humidity on the degradation of single-crystal silicon microbeam in MEMS resonator. Sensors and Materials. 28(2): 113-120 Holysz L, Miroslaw M, Terpilowski K, Szczes A (2008) Influence of relative humidity on the wettability of silicon wafer surfaces. Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie- Sklodowska sectio AA - Chemia- 63(18): 223-239 Zhu L, Teng W, Xu H, Liu Y, Jiang Q, Wang C, Qiu Y (2008) Effect of absorbed moisture on the atmospheric plasma etching of polyamide fibers. Surface and Coatings Technology. 202 (10):1966-1974 Gao Z (2012) Influence of environmental humidity on plasma etching polyamide 6 films. Applied Surface Science. 258(15): 5574-5578 The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this document.
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