North Carolina Museum of Art

North Carolina Museum of Art Raleigh, North CarolinaHamstrung for years by budget issues that did not allow the North

Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) to spend the money it needed to

maintain the mechanical system, in 2005, the museum experienced

wide variances in humidity. This was hindering the ability to host

many national traveling art exhibits. After careful review of the

facilities, it was determined that ASHRAE Class AA environmental

conditions could be achieved through an HVAC system overhaul. An

added benefit of the upgrade would be energy savings totaling 57%

or more.

THE PHYSICAL SITEThe main NCMA building was built in 1982. A four-story, 171,870

square foot building that includes exhibit space, restaurant and offices.

The museum is occupied 7 days a week, and open to the public Tuesday

through Sunday. NCMA employs 150 people and hosts around 25,000

visitors per month.

Controlling humidity with MeeFogTM

THE BENEFITS OF MEEFOGTM TECHNOLOGY

• Controlled environment

• Energy efficiency

• Reduced maintenance

CHALLENGEThe North Carolina Museum of Art

(NCMA) was experiencing variances

in humidity of 30% in the winter and

up to 60% in the summer. In order to

host high profile traveling exhibitions,

NCMA needed to tightly control the

humidity in the galleries.

SOLUTIONA single MeeFogTM humidification

system was installed replacing 92

distributed steam humidifiers. The

MeeFogTM system also eliminated

the need for boiler system steam for

humidification, and helped reduce the

utility and operating budgets.

MeeFog™ Systems • Case Study • North Carolina Museum of Art • Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Image courtesy of the North Carolina Museum of Art

meefog.comMeeFog™ System ApplicationGas Turbine Cooling | Humidification | Data Center CoolingSpecial Effects | Agriculture | Industrial

CONTROLLING THE OUTSIDE AIR Raleigh, N.C., has a subtropical climate with winter lows averaging 35°F and summer highs averaging around 90°F. To manage the amount of outside air entering the facility, a dual-mode, dedicated outside air unit was installed to pretreat,measure and control the airflow and dew point of the outside air being brought into the building. The unit was set to maintain the building at a slightly positive pressure. During unoccupied hours, the airflow is reduced to account for the reduction in exhaust air from the building since a number of exhaust fans are cycled off at the end of the day. Using a single unit for all outside air pretreatment greatly simplified the museum’s climate control system.

Using hot water pre-heat coils, chilled water cooling coils and a high-pressure MeeFogTM adiabatic humidification system, the pretreated air is then distributed to the main air-handling units at a constant 52°F dew point. Since the museum’s temperature requirements are 70°F in all zones, the use of a MeeFogTM system reduced the number of humidifiers from 92 distributed steam humidifiers down to one centralized MeeFogTM humidifier, also eliminating the need for boiler system steam for humidification.

protecting priceless collections for generations to come.”“This tightly controlled museum environment is now

— Larry Wheeler, director for the North Carolina Museum of Art

CONCLUSIONThe improvements reduced maintenance activities. Removing the steam system reduced plumbing fixture maintenance and repairs. The system efficiency upgrades not only improved the energy performance and indoor air quality, it also allowed the museum to move from a large service electric tariff to a small service tariff, saving the museum more than $30,000 per year.“Without the upgrades, many traveling exhibits, including the American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell and Rembrandt, could not come to the state capital.” says Larry Wheeler, director for the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Image courtesy of the North Carolina Museum of Art

Typical MeeFogTM Pump