Blekinge´s past safely protected for the future

Big demands on climate control

The new archive building strives to fulfill the Swedish “Healthy-house concept”, with a solar cell system placed on the roof that produces all required electricity- just one of many environmentally-friendly initiatives. In case of excess production, the primary school in the neighboring building purchases the extra electricity.

The archive follows Swedish National Archive guidelines in regard to indoor climate conditions, specified to a temperature of 18°C (± 2°C) and a relative humidity of 30-40% RH (± 5% RH) all year round.

With these climate conditions the stored items will be properly protected from moisture-related damage and can be preserved for future research.

ML Plus - combined solution for temperature and humidity control
Munters and the construction company Skanska decided upon a Munters ML23 Plus climate system, specially configured to the new archive’s needs.

The system uses a Munters ML desiccant dehumidifier with a nominal airflow of 2300 m³/h. By adding standardized modules for humidification, cooling and heating, the ML Plus system provides a perfectly stable indoor climate, 18°C/35% RH all year round - completely independent of outside temperatures and moisture levels.

The system was delivered in modules that were assembled on site. The compact design provides an attractive appearance and the system leaves a very small footprint compared to a traditional solution with separate devices from different vendors.

Stability and reliability highly appreciated

In the old archive location there was no climate control, and the stored objects were subject to large and problematic fluctuations in relative humidity, typically between 30-70% RH.

In past summers, small dehumidifiers were temporarily installed in an attempt to reduce the high humidity, which can be totally devastating for the old documents as time goes by.

Head of Blekinge Archives, Per Lundin, expressed great satisfaction with Munters’ climate control solution and in particular he highly appreciates the stability and reliability.

The plant is monitored seamlessly via the archives common BMS system and with a Service Agreement from Munters that will ensure regular and optimal maintenance, the archive staff do not have to worry about any physical inspection, filter change etc.