Dehumidification for Enhancment of Electro-Osmotic Pulse Technology in Underground Storage Facilities

Ammunition storage magazines at Fort A.P. Hill experience water intrusion problems, with large volumes of water seeping through concrete walls, floors and ceiling joints, accumulating up to 1½ inches of water depth during periods of high rainfall.  During hot humid days, moisture in the air condenses on the cold metal surfaces of the contents within the bunkers, adding to the interior moisture problem.  The water intrusion and high humidity causes corrosion of the ammunition and equipment within the magazines, corrodes the steel reinforcement in the concrete, and contributes to poor air quality through promotion of mold and bacteria growth and propagation, aggravating asthma and allergies of soldiers working in these confined spaces. To address these issues, the combined technologies of dehumidification (DH) and Electro-osmotic pulse (EOP) are being employed to maintain the relative humidity within the structures at or less than 55% and to stop the moisture intrusion through the concrete walls and floors.  The cost and functional performance of these technologies was evaluated during the period of January 2008 to December 2008 in order to substantiate the return on investment of these technologies as applied to this application, and are reviewed as part of this presentation. 

Keywords: reliability, corrosion, dehumidification, Electro-osmotic pulse, earth covered magazines, ammunition storage magazines, U.S. Army.