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As we head in to the colder months here in Ohio, I will soon be getting my humidifier out of the basement and set up in my bedroom. The dry air that accompanies the onset of winter chaps my lips, cracks the skin on my knuckles, affects my nasal passages, and oftentimes makes me wake up with a sore throat…something I definitely don’t want to happen in the middle of a pandemic! So I put some water vapor in my home’s air, on purpose, to take care of all of that.
Moisture in an industrial compressed air system, however, isn’t good for anything.  It’ll corrode your pipes, get rust in your pneumatic tools, motors, and cylinders, and spit out of your blow off devices, all over whatever you’re using your air to blow off.  Depending on the type of compressor, where, and how, it’s used, there are different types of dryers.  Today, dear reader, we’re taking a look at one of the most basic moisture removal systems: the deliquescent dryer.  The principle of operation is as follows:
Deliquescent dryer: how it works (1)
Incoming compressed air enters near the base, where a form of mechanical separation occurs…the air flows back & forth, around trays of desiccant.  The simple act of changing direction causes a certain amount of free liquid to just fall out and collect in the bottom.
The air then flows upwards through the desiccant bed. The desiccant in a deliquescent dryer absorbs moisture (as opposed to the adsorption that occurs in a regenerative desiccant dryer) until they get so wet, they dissolve.
The desiccant level has to be monitored (commonly via a sight glass) so it can be replaced as it’s consumed.
After the desiccant does its job, moisture free air flows out the top, and gets on with it’s work.
There are several disadvantages, also owing to their simplicity:
The deliquescent media has to be periodically replenished.  If you don’t stay on top of it, you can find yourself shut down while you go back to the shop to get a big bag of salt.  That’s time your boss can’t charge your customer for.  Also, the cost of the new media is a continual operating cost of the dryer…something you don’t have to account for with the regenerative desiccant models.
Disposal of the waste media can be a concern…you definitely want to check your local environmental regulations before dumping it in the garbage.  Your boss won’t like talking to the EPA about THAT either.
They have to be equipped with a particulate filter on the discharge to keep the deliquescent media (which, being a salt, is corrosive in nature) from entering your system.  That would be even worse than water moisture…which this is there to prevent in the first place.
They don’t get near as low of a dewpoint as other dryers – the best you can hope for is 20°F to 30°F.  Which is fine, given the above mentioned nature of applications where these are commonly used.  You just wouldn’t want to use them to supply a product like an EXAIR Vortex Tube…which can turn that in to -40°F cold air, causing the water vapor to turn to liquid, and then to ice.  In a hurry.
EXAIR Corporation is in the business of helping you get the most out of your compressed air.  If you want to learn more, please follow our blog.  If you have specific questions, give me a call.
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(1) – Deliquescent Dryer Image: VMAC Air Innovated: The Deliquescent Dryer – https://www.vmacair.com/blog/the-deliquescent-dryer/
Categories Compressed Air•Tags air drier, air dryer, compressed air, compressed air efficiency, compressed air product applications, compressed air products, deliquescent, desiccant, dessicant, drier, drier air, dry air, dryer, dryer air, eliminate moisture, exair, Frequently Asked Questions, moisture removal, optimization, remove moisture, RRBowman, salt media, vortex tube cooling
How to Manage Condensate in Your Compressed Air System
Published on August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 by Russ BowmanLeave a comment
If you operate an air compressor, you’re drawing water vapor into your compressed air system.  Factors like climate control (or lack thereof,) and humidity will dictate how much.  If (or more to the point, when) it condenses, it becomes an issue that must be addressed.  There are several types of dryer systems to choose from, usually when you buy your compressor…we’ve covered those in a number of blogs.  Some of these can leave a little more water vapor than others, but remain popular and effective, when considering the cost, and cost of operation, of the different types.
So, how do you handle the condensate that the dryer doesn’t remove?
Receivers, or storage tanks (like EXAIR Model 9500-60, shown to the right,) are commonly used for several reasons:
By providing an intermediate storage of compressed air close to the point of use, fluctuations across the system won’t adversely affect an application that needs a constant flow and pressure.
This also can keep the air compressor from cycling rapidly, which leads to wear & tear, and additional maintenance headaches.
When fitted with a condensate drain (more on those in a minute,) they can serve as a wet receiver.  Condensate collects in the bottom and is manually, or automatically emptied.
Condensate drains, while popularly installed on receivers, are oftentimes found throughout larger systems where the vapor is prone to condense (intercoolers, aftercoolers, filters and dryers) and where the condensation can be particularly problematic (drip legs or adjacent to points of use.) There are a couple of options to choose from, each with their own pros & cons:
Manual drains are self explanatory: they’re ball valves; cycled periodically by operators.  Pros: cheap & simple.  Cons: easy to blow down too often or for too long, which wastes compressed air.  It’s also just as easy to blow down not often enough, or not long enough, which doesn’t solve the condensate problem.
Timer drains are self explanatory too: they cycle when the timer tells them to. Pros: still fairly cheap, and no attention is required.  Cons: they’re going to open periodically (per the timer setting) whether there’s condensate or not.
Demand, or “zero loss” drains collect condensate until their reservoir is full, then they discharge the water.  Pros: “zero loss” means just that…they only actuate when condensate is present, and they stop before any compressed air gets out.  Cons: higher purchase price, more moving parts equals potential maintenance concerns.
The “last line of defense” (literally) is point-of-use condensate removal.  This is done with products like EXAIR Automatic Drain Filter Separators.  They’re installed close to compressed air operated devices & products, oftentimes just upstream of the pressure regulator and/or flow controls…the particulate filter protects against debris in these devices, and the centrifugal element “spins” any last remaining moisture from the compressed air flow before it gets used.
Good engineering practice calls for point of use filtration and moisture removal, such as that provided by EXAIR Filter Separators.
Efficient and safe use of your compressed air includes maintaining the quality of your compressed air.  If you’d like to find out more about how EXAIR Corporation can help you get the most out of your compressed air system, give me a call.
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Categories Compressed Air, Compressed Air Optimization•Tags aftercooler, air system, Ball Valve, blow down, blowdown, centrifugal separator, compressed air, compressed air efficiency, compressed air product applications, compressed air products, condensate, condensate drain, customer service, demand drain, drain, draining, drier, driers, drip leg, dryer, dryers, eliminate moisture, exair, filter, filter separator, intercooler, intermediate storage, maintenance, moisture, moisture free air, moisture removal, receiver tank, RRBowman, timer drain, valve, valves, water drain, water draining, zero loss
Types Of Compressed Air System Dryers
Published on September 21, 2017October 10, 2018 by exaircorpLeave a comment
Many times, when discussing product selection with a customer, we commonly reference supplying as clean and dry air as possible to promote peak performance. In iron piping systems for example, when moisture is present, rust can develop which can reduce the performance of end use compressed air operated devices like air tools or cause issues on the exhaust side as you could exhaust unwanted mist onto a surface, like in a painting operation.
Example of a desiccant dryer
Typically, an efficient and properly installed industrial compressed air system will include some type of dryer to remove any moisture that may be present in the supply.
Let’s take a look at the various types of dryers available.
Refrigerant and desiccant dryers are two of the more commonly used types of dryers.
Refrigerant based systems have several stages. The compressed air first passes through an air to air heat exchanger  which initially cools the air. The air is then delivered to an air to refrigerant exchanger where an external source of liquid refrigerant further cools the air and sends it to a separator, where the water vapors condensate and are removed through a drain trap. Now that the air is dry, it is then cycled back to the air to air exchanger where it is heated back to ambient temperature and exits the system.
Desiccant dryers typically incorporate 2 tanks containing a porous desiccant which causes the moisture to sort of “cling” to the surface. In these systems, compressed air flows through one tank, while, using it’s own regeneration cycle, heated or unheated air is blown through the desiccant in the other tank to remove the moisture and dry the air.
Membrane Dryers are typically used at the end use product. These types of systems utilize membranes to dissipate water vapor as it passes through the material, while allowing a small amount of the dry air to travel the length of the membrane to sort of “wipe” the condensate and remove it from the system.
Deliquescent Dryers use a drying agent which absorbs any moisture in the air. As the vapors react with the desiccant, like salt, the desiccant liquefies and is able to be drained at the bottom of a tank. These are the least expensive dryers to purchase and maintain because they have no moving parts and require no power to run.
When a dryer is being considered for a particular setup, there are 3 common reference points used when determining the dryers rating – an inlet air temperature of 100°F, supply pressure of 100 PSIG and an ambient air temperature of 100°F. Changes in supply pressure or temperature could change the performance of a particular dryer. You want to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations when dealing with variances as they will typically provide some type of conversion.
For help with this or any other topics relating to the efficient use of compressed air, please give us a call, we’d be happy to help.
Heated Desiccant Dryers image courtesy of Compressor1 via creative commons license
Categories Accessories, Compressed Air, Compressed Air Optimization, Compressor, Customer Service•Tags air dryers, air to air heat exchanger, air to refrigerant exchanger, air tools, compressed air, compressed air tools, Deliquescent Dryer, Desiccant Air Dryers, drain, eliminate moisture, end use, membrane, membrane dryer, mist, moisture, peak performance, point of use, point of use filtration, refrigerated air dryers, regenerate, rust, salt, tank emptying, trap
Video Blog: Effectiveness of Filtering Your Compressed Air
Published on October 8, 2014October 8, 2014 by Brian FarnoLeave a comment
The video below will give a brief demonstration on the importance of point of use filtration in order to remove unwanted material such as water, scale, particulate and oil from your compressed air stream. Point of use or end-use filtration will keep your air clean and your compressed air products running smooth.  If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact us.
Categories Compressed Air, Compressed Air Optimization, Compressor, Sustainability•Tags air, air nozzel, Air nozzle, bdfarno, blow off, blow off system, clean, clean compressed air, clip, coalescing, compressed air, compressed air filter, compressed air nozzle, demo, demonstration, dirt, dry, eliminate moisture, end use, engineered air nozzles, exair, exair air nozzle, filter, flat air nozzle, flat nozzle, high pressure nozzle, lubricator, moisture, movie, nozzel, nozzle, oil, oil removal, point of use, point of use filtration, scale, vid, video
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