- Air Dryer Operation
- Air Dryer Fr005ap Operation Manual Download
- Air Dryer Fr005ap Operation Manual Free
- Air Dryer Fr005ap Operation Manual Pdf
Location of the air dryer is too close to the air compressor. Refer to Locating AD-9 ™ Air Dryer On Vehicle section and Appendix A, Table A, column 2 for discharge line length. In areas where more than a 30 degree range of temperature occurs in one day, small amounts of water can accumulate in the air brake system due to condensation. 1000 Cass Drive Clayton, Ohio 45315 Toll Free: 877-283-7614 Local: 937-540-1140. All our air dryers are designed to perform in the most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly way White paper Compressed air drying 1,017.7 kB, PDF. Compared to refrigerated air dryers the cost of operation of desiccant dryers is fairly expensive therefore their use should be carefully considered. Refrigerated dryers consume about 0.8 kW per 100 cfm of dryer rating including the compressor power required to compensate for the pressure differential across the dryer.
Reach the lowest possible dew-point (the dryest compressed air), by investing in a desiccant compressed air dryer and remove all the water from your compressed air.
A desiccant compressed air dryer uses a special material, called desiccant to dry the compressed air.
This desiccant is made of a material that really ‘likes’ water, the water sticks to the surface of the desiccant.
Every once in a while, the desiccant needs to be dried, or ‘regenerated’, to remove the water again.
Desiccant
To have the largest possible surface, the desiccant is used in the form of thousands of small beads. Types of desiccant that are often used are silica gel and activated alumina.
Activated Alumina. Photo: Atlas Copco
Silica Gel. Photo: Atlas Copco
How a desiccant compressed air dryer works
A desiccant dryer usually has two identical towers, filled with desiccant. One tower is used to dry the compressed air, while the other tower is regenerated.
Every once in a while (controlled by a central control unit) the dryer switches towers. The compressed air is now dried by the second tower, while the first tower, filled with wet, saturated desiccant is dried.
Very simple!
On most dryers, there is a small sight-glass. Behind the glass you can see small beads. This is not the drying-desiccant, but an indicator. It will change color when the air the is too wet. Check it every once in a while to make sure that your dryer is
working properly.
working properly.
Big desiccant compressed air dryer.
Small desiccant dryer. Photo: Atlas Copco
Regeneration or drying of the desiccant
When the desiccant has done its job for some time, it has absorbed all the water from the compressed air and is saturated with water. It cannot hold any more water. In order to re-use the desiccant, we need to get rid of all that water. This is called regeneration.
The regeneration process is done in one of the two towers of the air dryer, the one that is not operational. There are two ways the desiccant can be regenerated: by hot air or by dried compressed air.
With the hot air method, a separate system consisting of a fan with an electric heater is used to blow hot air through the desiccant to dry it. This is just normal air drawn from the compressor room.
Dryer which uses heat from the oil-free compressor for regeneration. Photo: Atlas Copco
There are also special dryers available for use with oil-free screw compressors that used the heat of the compressor to regenerate the desiccant (and thus saving energy and money). This type of dryer consists of 1 rotating drum. 1 quarter is being regenerated, while the rest is drying the compressed air.
A third method of drying the desiccant, is with dry compressed air. This is often used in the smaller dryers and is also not suitable for big dryers.
With this method, part of the compressed air that has just been dried is used to regenerate the desiccant. This means that less compressed air is available for your tools and machinery.
Hidden costs
When buying a desiccant compressed air dryer, keep in mind that there are more costs involved than just the purchase price.
Here is a list of things to consider when buying your desiccant compressed air dryer:
- Pressure drop. The dryer will create an extra pressure drop. If the pressure drop over your dryer is for example 0.3 bar, and you need 6 bars to operate your tools, it means you need to set your compressor at 6.3 bars. This extra bit of pressure
requires more energy (and money!) to produce. The bigger your compressor, the higher the extra costs. - Regeneration costs: if you buy a hot-air regeneration-type dryer, consider the electricity costs used to heat the regeneration-air. If buying a compressed-air regeneration-type dryer, consider the air lost in the process. A dryer of this type will consume 15 to 20% of your (expensive) dried air!
- Desiccant use: even though the desiccant is regenerated, it will ‘wear down’ over time. It has to be replaced after a few years
(check the manual).
Installation
There are a few key things to keep in mind when installing your desiccant compressed air dryer. I have seen so many mistakes with this over the years and it’s so easy to do it right and save money in the long run!
Pre-filters: always make sure that the air that enters the dryer is clean and free of oil and water drops. Use a moisture trap, a water-filer and an oil filter to clean up the air before the dryer.
Why a condensate trap and water filter? Any liquid water in the compressed air will quickly saturate all the desiccant, making it unable to do its job properly. Result? Your dryer will not be able to get the desired dew-point. Wet air will pass through your dryer.
Why an oil filter? There will always be some oil from your compressor in the compressed air (this is called ‘oil carry-over’), unless you have an oil-free compressor of course.
If this oil gets to the desiccant it will stick to the surface of it. Result: your desiccant can’t do its job anymore, since it’s covered in oil.
Wet air will pass through your dryer. Also, you can probably throw the desiccant away and buy new one, which can be quite expensive.
After-filter: It is advisable to install a dust filter after the desiccant compressed air dryer.
The desiccant will always wear down a bit. This means desiccant-dust will exit the dryer together with the compressed air. Use a dust-filter to remove the desiccant dust to protect your equipment.
Outlet filter with dew-point sensor on this
desiccant compressed air dryer.
Photo: Atlas Copco
desiccant compressed air dryer.
Photo: Atlas Copco
Compressed air dryers are essential in a host of industrial facilities that require a regular supply of dry, compressed air. These dryers are critical in industrial operations because the presence of moisture in industrial air can damage pneumatic systems, cause freezing in pipelines, promote corrosion in metallic parts, etc.
A wide range of instrument air dryer types are available on the market today. Understanding the different types of air dryers and their principles of operation will let you choose the ideal compressed air dryer for your unique application.
What Is a Compressed Air Dryer?
A compressed air dryer is a piece of equipment designed to separate water vapor or moisture (de-humidify) from industrial process air. In the typical system, a compressor draws in humid air and compresses it, which raises the air temperature and then cooling the air condensing water vapor out of the unit.
However, there are other ways to achieve separation. The main types of air dryers include the refrigerated, desiccant-type, and membrane type air dryer.
Refrigerated Air Dryer Working Principle
Refrigerated air dryers are one of the most common types used in industrial applications due to their ease of maintenance and relative cost-effectiveness. They are suitable for air-drying applications without special requirements such as a minimum dew point.
Air Dryer Operation
The refrigerated air dryer working principle is based on de-humidifying air by rapidly cooling it, condensing it, and draining off the moisture. The operation is like that of a domestic refrigerator or home air-conditioning system.
Refrigerated air dryers de-humidify air through the following phases:
- Warm, moist air enters the dryer, which cools it rapidly to about 3°C (37.4°F) in a refrigeration unit. At this temperature, the water vapor in the air condenses into pure water, which collects in a water trap and fed into discharge lines. The warm, gaseous refrigerant is cooled and regenerated in a condenser.
- The dry air in the chamber is re-heated to room temperature and fed through an outlet.
Moreover, refrigerated air dryers are available in two variants – cycling and non-cycling.
- Cycling dryers are 100% duty cycle machines that can maintain the dew point at a constant temperature.
- Non-cycling dryers work by intermittently shutting down and restarting to maintain the required temperature.
Sanya 125 manual free. Both variants are useful in different applications, although cycling types tend to ramp up maintenance costs.
Desiccant-type Air Dryer Working Principle
A desiccant air dryer system consists of two towers, one for drying the air and the other for regenerating the desiccant. The drying tower contains a porous desiccant material that inhibits water molecules as compressed air from the inlet passes over it.
A less common variant, the single tower desiccant air dryer, comprises a single tower containing a desiccant material that dries air coming in from the environment. Single-tower dryers also contain no mechanical parts and do not require electricity to operate. They are suitable for use in hazardous and corrosive environments.
These instrument air dryers use a desiccant material, hygroscopic substances that exhibit a high affinity for water as the de-humidification agent. These types of compressed air dryers achieve a low dew point, making them suitable for use in colder climates and industries that require super dry air.
There are three main types of desiccant dryer systems – heated, heatless, and heat of compression desiccant air dryers. Let’s take a closer look at these below.
Heated desiccant air dryer
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Heated desiccant air dryers utilize a source of heating within the drying tower to heat the desiccant material sufficiently to minimize the need for purge air. Typical dew points in heated dryers range from -40°C to -73.3 °C (–40 to –100 °F).
Air Dryer Fr005ap Operation Manual Free
Heatless regenerative desiccant air dryer
Heatless desiccant dryers do not contain a heated system in the regenerating tower; instead, they utilize “purge air” to expel moisture from the tower. Typical dew points in heatless dryers range from -40°C to -73.3 °C (–40 to –100 °F).
Heat of Compression
A heat of compression air dryer uses both towers simultaneously to maintain a uniform temperature. This design allows for lower operating costs but with a less consistent dew point.
Membrane Air Dryer Working Principle
Air Dryer Fr005ap Operation Manual Pdf
Membrane dryers use permeable membranes similar to nitrogen separation membranes or CO2 separation membranes to extract water vapor from process air. These systems are convenient to use, more cost-effective, and require less maintenance since they have no moving parts. They are suitable for low volume air separation.
GENERON Has Air Drying Solutions for Diverse Applications
GENERON is a world-class manufacturer of compressed air systems. We have over 40 years of experience providing a full range of air-drying solutions to the commercial, industrial, and environmental facilities worldwide.
Contact us online today for more information on our compressed air dryer solutions or to request a quote.