As we all know that soaring temperatures of the UAE summers combined with extremely high humidity creates a lot of challenges and problems for businesses whose products are sensitive to high temperatures and high humidity with their only solution being cold storages. Such businesses include supermarkets, perishable food product suppliers, cold chain transporters, pharmaceutical manufacturers etc. While refrigeration systems for a cold room are capable of controlling the temperature, they almost often fail at controlling the humidity which leads to excess moisture that causes substantial damage to products and properties.

Now, that’s where comes in the desiccant dehumidifier that is designed to work with air at low temperatures of a cold room and has proven itself as a necessary investment. Using a cold room dehumidifier in Dubai is vital because that’s the only way to guarantee safety, integrity and profitability of a business. In addition, the laws in the UAE for food and pharma safety are observed and enforced effectively, so maintaining humidity between 40 to 60% RH is only possible if a cold room uses a desiccant dehumidifier.

Understanding the relationship between a Cold Room and Humidity

Cold rooms, chillers, and freezers are designed to create and maintain low temperatures often between +2 to +8C for a chiller and -18 to -22 C for a freezer. However, there is a scientific relationship between temperature and humidity which is: as air starts to cool, its capacity to hold water vapor decreases drastically. So, when a warmer and moister air from outside of the cold room enters a cold room through normal operational door openings, gaps in the cold room panels, or heat load from the product itself when bought from ambient to cold, this difference causes the water present in the air to condense, leading to:

Condensation: Almost immediately we can see visible droplets of water forming on the walls, ceilings, floor, and even the stored products themselves. This can seriously affect the safety of perishable goods and accelerate the decay process.

Frost and Ice Build-up: In cases of freezers, since the temperature is in the negative/freezing range, this condensation can then quickly turn into frost and ice which if accumulated on evaporator fans and coils can cause it to jam and blow up. This is in addition to the damage caused on the shelves and the products themselves.

Although a natural phenomenon, high ambient humidity in the United Arab Emirates(UAE) almost always causes this to occur and if you are a business based in the United Arab Emirates, or any other gulf countries such as Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait or even Saudi Arabia – you must buy a dehumidifier for cold room.

Which type of dehumidifier is right for a cold room, chillers and freezers?

Desiccant dehumidifiers are the best choice for dehumidification requirements in cold rooms as they are designed to work in low temperatures between +15°C to -30°C. If you use condensation dehumidifiers in a cold room, they simply won’t perform as well as a desiccant dehumidifier as the intake air is already too cold for it to condensate the water and collect in its tank. A desiccant dehumidifier works in a completely different way and uses a silica rotor to absorb moisture.

What are the benefits of using a Desiccant Dehumidifier in a cold room?

There are many benefits of using a desiccant dehumidifier in a cold room, we are listing key benefits as below:

• Prevents Mold, Mildew, and Bacterial Growth: High humidity levels above 60-65% RH creates an ideal breeding ground for micro-organisms such as mold, mildew, and bacteria. A presence of these contaminants can cause perishable goods to decay faster, release foul odors, cause discoloration in appearance which can lead to complete product rejection. When a dehumidifier is used, it ensures low humidity as required which terminates the breeding ground conditions for mold, mildew and bacterial growth thereby preventing them from affecting your product.
  
• Prevents damage due to condensation and dripping of water: As we all know that formation of water particles due to condensation is bound to drip due to gravity,but when it drips on the products and packaging – it’s a huge problem. This can lead the product to go bad in the worst case and even in the best case cause damage to its packaging such as becoming soggy or discoloured. If a dehumidifier was present, this would not ever occur.
  
• Prevents Ice Formation inside the cold room: Especially for a freezer, excessive humidity causes the water vapor to freeze leading to accumulation of ice and frost on the evaporator fans and the product itself. Needless to mention, it will degrade product quality, appearance, and can even alter taste and texture. A dehumidifier ensures that the freezer room remains ice free and working in optimal condition.
  
• Prevents increase in product weight and appearance: Many food and pharma products have hygroscopic properties meaning that they can absorb moisture from the air thereby increasing their weight. This can alter its intended properties and can cause serious compliance and health issues. A desiccant cold room dehumidifier maintains humidity below 60% RH preserving their intended weight and intended properties.

• Reduces Defrost Cycles: The most common source of ice build-up in cold rooms is the moisture infiltration that freezes on evaporator coils. This accumulation acts as an insulator, drastically reducing the cooling coil’s efficiency and forcing the refrigeration system to work harder. To combat this, refrigeration units undergo regular “defrost cycles,” which are energy-intensive periods where the cooling process is paused, and heaters melt the ice. A dehumidifier drastically reduces the moisture load, minimizing or even eliminating ice formation on coils. This, in turn, reduces the frequency and duration of defrost cycles, leading to substantial energy savings.
  
• Optimizes Refrigeration System Performance: When coils are free of ice, the refrigeration system operates at peak efficiency. This means it reaches and maintains desired temperatures with less effort, reducing wear and tear on compressors and other vital components. The overall lifespan of the entire refrigeration system is extended, delaying costly repairs and replacements.
• Lower Running Costs: Less frequent defrosting and more efficient refrigeration directly translate to lower electricity consumption. In the UAE, where energy costs can be high, these savings can be very significant, improving the bottom line for businesses.
  

• Eliminates Slippery Surfaces inside the cold room: Moisture and Ice formation on the cold room floors and ramps is a major safety hazard if anyone slips and falls leading to life threatening injuries. A business should buy a cold room dehumidifier to keep their floors dry to protect their employees from slipping accidents.
  
• Prevents jamming of doors and reduces equipment breakdown: Ice formation on door handles can lead it to jam and make day to day operations difficult. In addition, ice formation on machinery and equipment can lead to more frequent breakdown and downtime. Desiccant dehumidifiers are very useful to prevent icing in a cold room.
  
• Prevents Corrosion and Rusting of metallic shelves and hinges: High humidity can seriously reduce the lifespan of metal surfaces inside the cold room including racking, shelving, evaporator fins, and structural elements causing corrosion and rust to form. A desiccant dehumidifier drying the air inside the cold room prevents any metallic surface from accumulating rust and corrosion.
  

Applications: Which Industries benefit the most from using Cold Room Dehumidifiers in the UAE

Applications: Which Industries benefit the most from using Cold Room Dehumidifiers in the UAE

The need for humidity control in cold room, chillers and freezers are used by a wide range of industries in the UAE and other GCC Countries:

• Food & Beverage Industry:
  • Perishable Goods: Meat, poultry, seafood, dairy – all are susceptible to spoilage, mold, and weight alterations due to high humidity..
  • Bakeries & Confectionery: High humidity causes stickiness, caking, and rapid degradation of baked goods and chocolates. Using a dehumidifier therefore is essential.
  • Processing Plants: A dehumidifier prevents moisture formation on machinery in processing plants especially meat processing, dairy, or seafood processing plants.
    
• Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare:
  • Drug Storage: A vast majority of pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are highly sensitive to moisture which can distort its properties such as potency and stability, this poses a huge risk to public health and safety. Using a dehumidifier for pharma warehouses,distribution centers and cold rooms are vital for compliance, public safety and product efficacy.
  • Vaccines & Biologics: Just like other pharmaceuticals, vaccines and biologics are sensitive to alteration to its properties especially in clean rooms where they are made. Controlling humidity in a clean room producing vaccines is critical as delivery of vaccines is given through IVs and can cause health risks to the patients. Buying a dehumidifier for a clean room is absolutely a must have.
    
• Logistics & Warehousing:
  • Distribution Centers: They carry a lot of sensitive goods in storage and once again humidity control is keeping them safe. Damage to goods can lead to liabilities to the customers. A dehumidifier to keep goods in a distribution center safe is one of the investments warehousing and distribution centers can make.
  • Loading Docks: One of the most overlooked areas where goods are handled during transition between ambient and cold temperatures are at high risk as the shutters are open for extended periods exposing them to high humidity. A dehumidifier can help solve the problem of reducing humidity near loading areas.
• Agriculture & Floriculture:
  • Flower & Plant Storage: Many plants do not like constant presence on their flower buds and their leaves resulting in poor production. Use a dehumidifier for optimal production.
  • Seed & Grain Storage: Seed and grain storages are susceptible due to spoilage from mold and unwanted germination. Businesses should buy dehumidifiers to protect seeds and grains from humidity..
• Electronics & Data Centers (Cool Server Rooms):
  • Aside from keeping cool at all times, server rooms require precise humidity control to prevent condensation on PCBs and other sensitive electronics to protect them from short circuits and equipment failure.
• Museums & Archives (Climate-Controlled Storage):
  • With many Museums and archives in Dubai especially – preserving delicate artifacts, documents, and artworks that require stable low-humidity environments to prevent degradation and discoloration is often a challenge. Art museums and art storing warehouses in Dubai should buy a dehumidifier to protect millions in worth of art works,

Get in touch with our engineering team and we will run the calculations for your cold room. We will conduct site visits as needed to help you find the right dehumidifier for your requirement.

How to select a desiccant dehumidifier for my cold room?

Get in touch with our engineering team and we will run the calculations for your cold room. We will conduct site visits as needed to help you find the right dehumidifier for your requirement.

CONCLUSION:

If you are a business in the UAE or any other GCC Countries, you must seriously think of buying a dehumidifier in light of the benefits above. You can ensure you are meeting the HACCP/Food Safety guidelines in the UAE or your respective country of business, guarantee strict quality assurance observance and both of aforementioned lead to optimal product preservation conditions.

With a desiccant dehumidifier in a cold room, you can protect your refrigeration system from unexpected breakdowns and downtimes. You also ensure the safety of the people that work for you all day in cold environments by preventing them from having accidents.

If you think a dehumidifier is an expense, think again – just by optimising your refrigeration system from reduced defrost cycles you save a lot of money. Let alone overall efficiency from no downtime, high production output, no compliance issues and worker safety – you should literally pick up the phone and call us right now.

We are dehumidifier specialists based in Dubai, UAE with over 13+ years of experience in dehumidifying cold rooms from small to very big cold warehouses. We can help you select, buy and install a dehumidifier in Dubai or wherever in GCC you are located through worldwide shipping and installation partners. Whether you are our dehumidifier customer in Dubai, UAE or any part of the GCC – we provide full post sales service and support for our dehumidifiers.