Drift eliminators play a critical role in your cooling or humidification system. The main purpose of drift eliminator media is to reduce impact to downstream components that can be damaged over time by uncaptured droplets. To help you achieve these benefits for your operation, our engineers developed the Kuul FirePro DE™, the drift eliminator that integrates seamlessly into your cooling systems.
To help you better understand the importance of addressing drift, also referred to as mist, in your cooling systems, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide covering the benefits, the potential impact on your business, explaining how drift eliminators work, and answering key questions to help you make an informed decision.
Drift is essentially liquid entrainment. It occurs when the velocity of air moving through cooling media is so high that water droplets come off the surface of the cooling media and are introduced into the airstream.
As high-velocity evaporative cooling systems work to keep temperatures down and help you maintain high levels of performance, escaping water droplets can be produced in certain circumstances. If left unchecked, this can negatively impact your equipment, operations, and the surrounding environment.
Image: Depiction of liquid entrainment showing droplets escaping through media
While high air velocity through a cooling system can create drift, many systems still require it to meet cooling and airflow demands. This is where drift eliminators come into place.
Drift eliminators serve as a second set of media that is positioned behind the evaporative cooling media to capture escaped droplets. Any liquid droplets that come off the cooling media encounter the drift eliminators and are either absorbed into the drift eliminator and then re-evaporated or travel down the drift eliminator and are drained out of the system.
By installing drift or mist eliminators (also called droplet separators) into your system, you effectively capture those droplets, eliminating drift, which allows you to increase maximum air speed without the risk of long-term equipment damage.
Image: By installing a drift eliminator, droplets are captured and removed from the air
Drift eliminators can either be constructed of the same material as the cooling media or a different material like plastic or metal.
In the data center industry, it is most common to see drift eliminators made of the same material as the cooling media. This allows the drift eliminators to absorb the liquid droplets as opposed to an inert material like plastic.
Plastic is also not fire-rated, which means it cannot be used in more heat-sensitive operations. Kuul FirePro DE™ is UL900 rated, giving it an advantage over plastic drift eliminator options where fire ratings are required.
Drift eliminators are used across multiple industries.
Data centers contain equipment that can be negatively impacted by excess moisture. Drift eliminators reduce the negative impact by capturing any droplets before they escape, preventing equipment damage or corrosion.
Another common application for drift eliminators is gas turbines. Long-term equipment health is a primary concern for gas turbines, which is why a drift eliminator is so beneficial. Drift eliminators help these cooling systems reduce long-term equipment damage and maintenance needs.
Drift eliminators are used in cooling towers to retain droplets that could potentially escape into the environment. They should be installed in towers containing fans but are not necessary in low-velocity natural draft towers. This helps to reduce the negative impact by pulling droplets back into the tower.
In HVAC systems, drift eliminators can be used to capture and remove the harmful droplets that could make their way into your team’s airspace. Thus, reducing the chance of negative health impacts.
In industries that require strict temperature regulation leveraging cooling systems to keep performance at optimal levels, drift can become a problem. If you have concerns that unchecked drift may be contributing to a negative impact on your equipment, working environment, or sustainability of your operations, it may be time for an assessment to see if a drift eliminator is a fit for you.
One major factor in determining whether you need a drift eliminator is air velocity. When analyzing your systems, our team calculates the performance and velocity for each design, and if the air velocity exceeds 700 feet per minute, we would recommend drift eliminator media
There are many drift eliminator options available which include a diverse range of material options and costs. Choosing the best drift eliminator option for your application can seem like a daunting task. Ultimately, the best option is highly dependent on your application, location, and system requirements.
However, for systems needing an evaporative media drift eliminator, our team has created the Kuul FirePro™ DE. Made from the same material as our leading Kuul Firepro™ Evaporative Media, this drift eliminator integrates seamlessly into your cooling system. Not only does it offer seamless integration, but it is also highly customizable to your specific equipment needs. Learn more about Kuul FirePro DE for yourself and see if it might be right for you.
Whether you’re in the beginning phases of determining if your system needs a drift eliminator or are trying to choose the best option for your system, our engineering team is standing by to help. Contact us today for a free consultation or system performance analysis.
Our engineers developed Condair's Kuul FirePro DE™ to eliminate the negative impact of drift on your equipment and operations. Talk to our team today to find out how you can benefit.
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