Many industrial applications might require refrigerated air dryers or compressor fittings. However, knowing the difference between atmospheric and moisture-free air is important. Since water vapour comes with compressed air, refrigerated dryers help to make them suitable for use. Apart from factories, many pneumatic systems use moisture-free air for their operations. When their internal components of these systems have moist air, the damage from rust is often colossal. Here’s are some reason for using refrigerated air dryers in factories.
What are Refrigerated Air Dryers?
Refrigerated air dryers are heavy and medium-duty machines that remove moisture content from air compressor discharge units and services. They reduce the temperature and separate water vapour before producing dry air. In industrial environments like factories, air dryers with acceptable dew points are often used for various applications.
How Do They Work?
These refrigerated air dryers use basic principles of removing moisture through a temperature reduction and condensation. The output leaves the blowing unit for moist air to be cooled by special coolants. This cycle runs continuously to keep the dryer working at a regular temperature.
It’s the design of regular refrigerated dryers that allow refrigerants to evaporate inside the air-to-refrigerant heat exchanger. With this process, the heat exchanger can condense refrigerants efficiently.
When the air dryer receives compressed air of about 100F, it enters the air-to-air heat exchanger. In the exchanger, compressed air is pre-cooled and sent to the refrigerant-to-air heat exchanger. With more cooling, the compressed air’s temperature falls to about 35F. Naturally, a lower temperature allows for moisture separation after the air condenses. Since the condensed vapour has been separated, it will give cool and dry air.
It’s only clean and dry air that’s expected to go through the outlet of dryers.
Common Differences
There are two basic types of refrigerant air dryers – cycling and non-cycling types.
In the non-cycling refrigerated dryer, bypass valves (hot gas) control the refrigerant’s temperature. This process helps to prevent freezing of its internal mechanism.
While the non-cycling types work intermittently, they don’t need to run on consistent temperatures. Normally, dryers with cycling mechanisms run continuously to provide clean air.
Since non-cycling dryers have on and off switches, it’s easy to conserve energy and cut cost. The cost of maintaining the dew point of cycling dryers is more than in the other type. Generally, cycling dryers have more stable levels of dew point than non-cycling types.
Other Types of Dryers
- Regenerative Desiccant Dryers
The regenerative desiccant types of air dryers run differently. They have two towers for holding and regenerating desiccants. Inside the first tower, a desiccant extracts moisture from atmospheric air. Then, a second tower waits for normal pressure before regenerating the desiccant. However, this type of air dryer has options of heat-of-compression, heatless, and heated systems.
- Membrane Dryers
The membrane types of air dryers use Nitrogen separation membranes. These special semi-permeable materials are ideal for separating contaminants in the gaseous matter. As discussed, water vapour (moisture) can contain solid, liquid or gaseous particles. However, both Nitrogen and CO2 separation membranes help to keep atmospheric air clean before it is utilized.
Do Factories Require Refrigerated Air Dryers?
Apart from corrosion, moving parts of equipment can be frozen when compressed air is wet and dirty. Usually, atmospheric air contains contaminants in liquid, gaseous, and solid forms. If other equipments that use compressed air survive, the quality of products from production plants of factories might be compromised. Here are some reasons for using refrigeration dryers in factories.
The refrigerated air dryer is has a combined advantage of low operating and maintenance costs. You can get cost-effective models of refrigerated air dryers that are very efficient.
