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 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.
Refrigerator dryers are the most used since they offer several advantages, such as:
Besides refrigerant dryers are considered a great choice for many industries and businesses, it’s very important to keep in mind these fundamental aspects:
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.
The main advantages of adsorption dryers are:
Among the most important aspects to consider for adsorption dryers, it’s important to know:
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.
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!