Method for humidifying air

Abstract

First and second humidifiers (10,100) and methods for humidifying air are disclosed. The first humidifier (10) comprises a spray apparatus (16) in a housing (12) which sprays a mist of water droplets onto a mist eliminator (20) to intercept the mist of water droplets. The mist of droplets is captured in a liquid phase by the mist eliminator (20) and is substantially completely converted into a vapor phase in the form of increased humidity in the air stream. A humidity sensor (38) located downstream of the mist eliminator (20) senses the humidity of the stream of air. A controller controls the quantity of water sprayed in response to the humidity sensed to maintain a predetermined humidity in the humidified stream of air. The second humidifier (100) includes a heater (122) which creates a region of intense heat (124) to instantaneously evaporate water mist directed thereon in a stream of air. The first method includes spraying droplets of water and intercepting and evaporating the droplets by a mist eliminator (20) made of elongated interlaced monofilaments to humidify a stream of air. The second method includes spraying water droplets directly in a region of intense heat, such as a flame (124) to instantaneously evaporate water droplets.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.