Characteristics of dryers for drying

The drying dryer is used in cases where strict requirements are imposed on the quality of the compressed gas or when it is necessary to use an outdoor pneumatic system. This type of dryer provides a low dewpoint temperature and a maximum degree of air drying, which is why it is ideal for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Design features

Structurally, the adsorption air dryer is a vertical column, inside which there is a filler made of a special adsorbing material that absorbs moisture. Since the adsorber, which has collected the maximum possible volume of water, needs time to regenerate (remove water), the dryer uses two columns working in turn. In order for the adsorber to be used most efficiently and to work longer, automatic devices based on sensors are used to switch the columns, which determine the degree of saturation of the adsorbent with moisture. Less advanced are dryers that switch columns on a timer.

Regeneration characteristics

Adsorption dryers are available with two types of regeneration — cold and hot. The first units are not very expensive, but they lose about 20% of the compressed air, so more powerful compressor equipment will be required, which will lead to high energy costs. Hot regeneration dryers result in a 5% loss of compressed air, but they are more expensive.

Job characteristics

The use of special materials in adsorption dryers for compressed air is the reason for the peculiarities of their operation and maintenance. The service life of the filler-adsorber is 5 years on average. After this time, the material must be replaced with a new adsorbent.

The material of the adsorber itself is sensitive to various pollutants, at the same time it loses its ability to absorb moisture and fails before time. Therefore, the compressed air adsorption dryer must be supplemented with a system of oil and air filters installed at the inlet and retaining all mechanical inclusions and oil particles. During the operation of the installation, the particles from the adsorber can be torn off and moved along with the compressed air. Therefore, an air filter is also installed at the outlet of the equipment if particularly strict requirements are placed on the purity of the compressed air.