Dryers’ purpose consists in eliminating vapour from compressed air. Indeed, the air without humidity guarantees high-quality products and enhances the machines’ lifecycle. Dryers are used mainly in those industries where product’s quality makes the difference, such as food and beverage and pharmaceutical ones. You should never forget that dryers cannot remove oil and other particles except water and, thus, filters should be installed.
As already described in the article What is a compressor air dryer, we can distinguish between two types of dryers: refrigerant and adsorption ones. In the following article, we are going to recall their working principle, underlying their advantages and disadvantages, as well as possible applications.
REFRIGERANT DRYERS
Refrigerant dryers apply to a cooling system, which lower the temperature, condensates the vapour and separates it from the air. Once the moisture is collected into the receiver, the air’s temperature increases.
Refrigerant dryers are equipped with the PDP monitoring system, which controls their working processes, internal components, temperature, and pressure. Specifically, if the pressure is too high, also the temperature increases, and, thus, it can compromise the machine’s functionality. Big sized dryers are equipped also with pressure switches, which contributes to better their functionality and performance. If the probes break, the monitoring system notifies you immediately with specific alerts.
Advantages and disadvantages of refrigerator dryers
Refrigerator dryers are the most used since they offer several advantages, such as:
- Their easy installing process, which is one of the most economic ones, if compared to other air drying systems.
- Reduced costs of ordinary maintenance and the dryers’ management.
- Refrigerant systems of this type of dryer are particularly solid and resistant to oil particles within the air.
Besides refrigerant dryers are considered a great choice for many industries and businesses, it’s very important to keep in mind these fundamental aspects:
- This type of drying system doesn’t reach temperature under zero, since the condense freezes and can damage your production machines.
- Refrigerant dryers have a minimal dew point capacity.
ADSORPTION DRYERS
Adsorption dryers use two towers with desiccant elements inside, which are able to easily absorb and release water within the air. As the desiccant spheres start the adsorption process, the air reaches a very low dew point and, when the desiccant material gets saturated, the dew point rises. As the dew point is not stable, the drying process starts in the second tower, meanwhile the other gets regenerated. The regeneration phase varies among models and takes no more than 10 minutes.
The hygroscopic material varies basing on the type of adsorption dryer: in general, you use alumina to reach a PDP from -40° C to -60°C, while you use silica gel for -70°C.
Absorption dryers are ideal if you want to reach a very high-quality air, according to ISO certification. To work at best, adsorption dryers must receive air without any oil particles, which can damage the desiccant element and, thus, can compromise its functionality and results. Lastly, the air temperature must not be too high.
Advantages and disadvantages of adsorption dryers
The main advantages of adsorption dryers are:
- Their ability to reach a very low dew point, which can arrive until -70°C
- Highly reduced operational costs
- The possibility to be used in remote and harsh environments
Among the most important aspects to consider for adsorption dryers, it’s important to know:
- Their important installation costs
- The oil particles can affect the desiccant elements and, thus, you should install an appropriate filter system
- Adsorption dryers need pure air
Why maintenance services are fundamental for my dryer?
During maintenance services, you can clean the machine, verify the correct functionality and inspect the drainpipe. Maintenance services must be executed by an expert. Since internal components have different life-cycle, the expert can schedule a proper maintenance plan and recognize if one or more components are damaged.
Contact the expert
Choosing the right dryer for your production system is fundamental. Contact our experts to get more information: they are always willing to answer to all your doubts and questions!
