Determining whether a desiccant air dryer is the appropriate dryer for your compressed air application can be facilitated by investing time in understanding its functionality. Nevertheless, it is essential to first establish the necessity of dry air in your compressed air system before we delve further into our current discussion topic.
The formal measurement of the dampness of air is the dew point. As the dew point falls, the air becomes dryer. This brings us back to the original question: Why do compressed air systems necessitate dry air? In conclusion, this may be attributed to the moisture sensitivity of the ultimate process or product.
Certain applications, such as the particle coating process, pharmaceutical, food, and electronics products, as well as packaging, are notably impacted by excessive water vapor in the compressed air stream. Inadequate air drying may lead to a faulty process or an ineffective product. The last thing you want to compromise on is this.
To work effectively or even to work at all, tools and instruments used in a variety of applications frequently require the air to be dried to a specific extent. Additionally, this holds true even when no final product is being manufactured. It is inevitable that a desiccant air dryer will be necessary in this situation.
Consequently, how does the desiccant air dryer work? Initially, contaminants that are present in compressed air can contaminate the surface of desiccant particulates. This reduces the desiccant’s efficacy by reducing the amount of moisture it can absorb over time.
The positive thing about pre-filtration is that it lowers the possibility of desiccant bed contamination by removing contaminants from the air stream before the air reaches the desiccant bed. Minimized contamination has the potential to extend the longevity of the desiccant beads, thereby reducing operating costs by reducing the frequency of their replacement.
A desiccant air dryer must capture moisture from the compressed air stream and deposit it onto the desiccant in order to guarantee that dry air is consistently delivered downstream. It should also release moisture from the desiccant particles and release it into the ambient air. Because of this regeneration phase of the process, desiccant dryers are occasionally referred to as regenerative dryers.
Desiccant dryers employ coupled towers to coordinate adsorption and desorption between the two towers, cycling through a series of phases to manage the process of drying air and regenerating desiccant. Certainly, there is a plethora of supplementary information that is essential to comprehend regarding a desiccant air dryer that is not covered in this straightforward guide.
