Airflow and your humidor

[PigFish]

I have been working on some testing of my products in the PiggyLab and while this test uses two of my products, the example is good for anyone looking to improve cigar storage.

I had posted some designs of mine for a powered bead ventilator I call the Bead-Blaster now. In the process of fooling with some dry beaded desiccant, a new blended desiccant product called EscaparateBeads, I thought I would run some back to back tests with the same 0.3 liters of beads in a small sealed test vessel.

At first I allowed the vessel and the data logger to come to room RH. I sealed the vessel. Inside the RH began to respond to the changing temperature as it should. I then took my beads and placed them in the vessel so that I could examine the static effects of the beads in a closed chamber. The beads are in the Bead-Blaster unit but the unit is not energized.

I tested the beads dry for a number of reasons. One of the reasons was to exemplify the performance differential of a static verses and active (fan powered) approach. Despite already understanding and accepting airflow as a means to aid in adsorption and desorption, as an aid to establishing equilibrium RH in a sealed vessel or a humidor, I wanted to see it represented empirically as a visual aid.

As you can see, a high density desiccant is a powerful means to dehumidify. One can also see that it works all by itself as air flows naturally and percolates through the media.

STAGE 2, shows this natural process of refining the air. I suppose I could have let this run a while longer but what I wanted was to show, on the same chart the performance difference between using an active system verses a passive system.

At STAGE 3, I opened the vessel and allowed it to become saturated once more with room air. You can see that the air exchange is quick and the RH changes rapidly. I sealed the bead container in a bag... because it is alway working on air around it and it had already adsorbed one atmosphere in the vessel, nothing much actually for a high capacity desiccant that can hold a lot of water but the intent was to not have too much outside influences.

I then reintroduced the bead container into the vessel and powered it up. You can see the marked performance difference when air is forced over your media verses the static approach almost instantly. The RH drops like a rock, almost instantly in minutes, not hours! This is STAGE 4.

What is it about STATE 5-6 that is important? I am speculating here that during STAGE 2 a layering of water content was established in the beads. This would be intuitive; the outlying beads get more exposure to water vapor and tend to take on more than those in the middle of the stack. Certainly, due to diffusion that water will eventually migrate, but since the outside exposed beads will be contacted first it is logical that the water may get lodged their first. The air supply then insures that all the beads are utilized. This works both for and against the theory that states the more beads you have the better. More exposed beads are better, but unexposed beads are not efficiently used. Bead bedding or silo stacking using forced air would have to be considered when one is considering buying more beads. Burying your beads in a stack is not an efficient way to utilize them.

Another explanation could be the location of the data logger. The data logger, located at the bottom of the vessel with the bead container may see the effects of heavier air sinking. The tiny bit of water still left in the air may just be sinking to the bottom. In either case uniformity is attained more quickly when air is circulated, and an overall more uniform environment is achieve when that air is driven though the beads and throughout the humidor.

I think it is fair to say that active systems provide a more efficient buffered environment.

Thanks for reading. - Prof. Piggy

[Vortigan]

I wish I understood at least SOME of that!!

[gigabyte056]

Me too, but I like the drawing, makes me feel like I could understand it with an operational frontal lobe.

[El Presidente]

Excellent Stuff Pigster.

....you do have way too much time on your hands

[Trevor2118]

I have been working on some testing of my products in the PiggyLab.................

Thanks for reading. - Prof. Piggy

It think it's more than clear.

It proves...............Friends don't let friends smoke EL's... QED

[OZCUBAN]

Ah Prof Piggy you've do it again great stuff Ray keep them coming ( I am glad one of us is clever

Cheers Steve OZ

[PigFish]

Excellent Stuff Pigster.

....you do have way too much time on your hands

Just a capitalist pig looking for a way to make a buck (eventually)! For airfare and a reasonable wage I am happy to help out while Lisa is away. I am sure by the time the little one is born I can chase all your EL/RE business away!!! Maybe even have you banned from Cuba!!! -LOL

-Piggy

[jedipastor]

This is extremely interesting, great work!

I use beads exclusively, but a mix of silia and clay (HCM). I keep them in the mesh bags they came in, so plenty of exposed beads but plenty of non-exposed as well. My assumption was always that the non-exposed beads functioned mostly to keep the exposed beads at the right rH (like the reserve archers always passing more arrows the front lines, but never firing themselves). Your findings seem to agree with my assumptions, and suggest that splitting them up into a greater number of smaller bags might be better.

[android]

Super Genius!

[zuma]

I think it is fair to say that active systems provide a more efficient buffered environment.

Thanks for reading. - Prof. Piggy

Prof. Piggy... Thanks for sharing!

Wow, you can now start thinking of build an intelligent system with a distributed sensor and fan system capable of dealing with any environment.

Your're the man!

Cheers,

Z

[PigFish]

Prof. Piggy... Thanks for sharing!

Wow, you can now start thinking of build an intelligent system with a distributed sensor and fan system capable of dealing with any environment.

Your're the man!

Cheers,

Z

General Ripper! Where the hell have you been hiding? Good to see ya' around again.

While I am always working on new ways to skin a cat... this one is not all that sophisticated or expensive. Stay tuned. -

[zuma]

General Ripper! Where the hell have you been hiding? Good to see ya' around again.

Always here, mate... always here... a tad taciturn forumwise (damn voices in my head won't shut up to let us, we mean me, write )

this one is not all that sophisticated or expensive. Stay tuned. -

The genius and elegance of your solution is in its simplicity... and I admire, and enjoy reading, your approach to the problem.

Keep us posted mate.

[IcedCanuck]

That was a very informative read! Thank you for posting your findings and I look forward to anymore such future postings.

[tmac77]

I wish I understood at least SOME of that!!

Me too.. He lost me at "I've been working"