How do desiccant dryers work?

Jul. 15, 2024

What is a Desiccant Air Dryer and How Does it Work?

Getting moisture-free air directly from the environment for industrial use is nearly impossible. If excess moisture isn&#;t removed from the compressed air used in industry, it can impact the quality of the process air and harm moisture-sensitive machinery. This article explores the benefits of using a desiccant air dryer in industrial air-drying processes.

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What Are Desiccants?

Desiccant refers to a substance or material that has the ability to absorb moisture from its surroundings. It is commonly used to reduce humidity or moisture levels in the air, gases, or solids, thereby preventing corrosion, mold, and other undesirable effects associated with high humidity.

Types of Desiccants

Most desiccant materials are stable chemically, but a few are toxic and can only be used under special conditions. The most common types of desiccants include:

Silica &#; A commonly used desiccant made from silicon dioxide, known for its high adsorption capacity and versatility.
Activated charcoal &#; Known for its porous structure, activated charcoal is used to adsorb moisture and impurities.
Calcium chloride &#; An effective desiccant, calcium chloride is often used in the form of moisture-absorbing pellets or bags.
Calcium sulfate &#; This desiccant is used to control humidity and is often found in various industries.
Aluminosilicate minerals (zeolites) &#; Microporous minerals with a high surface area, zeolites can adsorb water and other molecules.

Desiccants have found applications in both everyday domestic use as well as large-scale industrial applications such as compressed air drying.

What Is a Desiccant Air Dryer?

A desiccant dryer or an adsorption dryer is a piece of industrial equipment that uses desiccant materials to eliminate water from the air channeled through it. A standard desiccant dryer system uses a two-tower setup to ensure a continuous air-drying cycle.

What Is Meant by Regenerative Desiccant Air Dryer?

The term &#;regenerative&#; is used to refer to an industrial desiccant air dryer that can renew its desiccant material by reversing the adsorptive process. Typically, regenerative desiccant dryers have paired desiccant-packed towers that permit water absorption and material regeneration to occur simultaneously.

Twin Tower Desiccant Compressed Air Dryers

Twin tower desiccant dryers are essentially dual desiccant systems that constantly switch between absorptive and regenerative modes. Indicators detect the level of water saturation in each tower and automatically switch phases when appropriate.

How Do Desiccant Dryers Work?

This dryer type possesses two towers equally filled with hygroscopic materials. During routine operation, one tower is used to actively eliminate moisture from compressed air channeled through it while the other tower undergoes a reverse process where moisture is actively removed to &#;regenerate&#; the desiccant material.

Once the desiccant in the absorptive tower is saturated and the material in the second tower is sufficiently dried, a control unit is used to automatically reverse their functions. With this phase change, the fully saturated desiccant tower then enters a regenerative mode while the freshly regenerated material in the second tower is used to remove the moisture in the supply air feed.

How to Regenerate Desiccant Beads

Regenerating desiccant material is done by eliminating the moisture it has accumulated during a cycle of compressed air drying. There are different ways of regenerating the hygroscopic materials used in air drying systems.

Hot Air Desiccant Regeneration

This method forces a stream of heated air through the water-saturated desiccant tower to eliminate the moisture within it. This drying technique requires a fan, and an electric heater to dry the desiccant.

Desiccant Regeneration Using Dry Compressed Air

Renewing desiccant using a portion of the freshly dried compressed air is energy-efficient and saves operators additional costs on utilities.

Desiccant Drying using Special Drying Systems

This air dryer system can simultaneously regenerate its desiccant and dry compressed at the same time. This air dryer has a rotating drum system where a quarter of the drum is involved in desiccant regeneration while the remaining portions are concurrently drying the compressed air.

Common Applications of Desiccant Air Dryers

In industries using compressed air, desiccant air dryers are widely employed. For instance, the oil and gas industry relies on compressed air for various operations, such as oil recovery, refining, and transportation. The equipment used in these processes is often at risk of damage from moisture.

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The use of a desiccant air-drying system prevents the rapid wear and breakdown of moisture-sensitive components in most industries.

Where to Buy Desiccant Air Drying Systems

Not every air-drying system is a perfect fit for your specific needs. Before investing in an air dryer for your industrial process, consult with experts who have in-depth knowledge of air-drying solutions. With decades of experience, NiGen specializes in manufacturing compressed air dryers tailored for various industrial applications.

Discover NiGen&#;s Industrial Air Dryer Systems

For over 20 years, NiGen has built a strong reputation for offering the best and most affordable solutions for drying compressed air. Our high-quality desiccant dryers, suitable for various industrial processes, are also available for rent. Top of FormBottom of Form

Contact a specialist today to learn more about our products and services.

Everything You Need to Know About Desiccant Dryers

Need clean, dry air? A compressed air dryer can do the trick! Like their name would suggest, dryers are very common pieces of compressed air equipment that play an essential role in drying your compressed air. Designed to reduce the amount of moisture in the compressed air, desiccant dryers in particular are essential for applications and processes that require very high air quality - or with applications requiring an ultra-low dew point, typically around -40°C /-40°F. Having air at a reliable, predictable dew point can be important for demanding applications in industries such as pharmaceuticals and food processing. Read more about how desiccant dryers work, as well as the types of desiccant dryer technologies, below.

What is Desiccant?

Open a box containing new electronics, medicines, or clothing, and often you find a small mesh packet with words such as &#;Desiccant, Do Not Eat.&#; Inside those packets are hygroscopic beads (typically silica or activated alumina) that attract moisture, protecting the merchandise during shipment and storage. Desiccant also has industrial uses, notably removing moisture from a compressed air stream. Water vapor is exchanged from the moist compressed air into the desiccant, drying the air and causing the desiccant to gradually be saturated with adsorbed water. The desiccant must be regenerated (the collected moisture is purged) to regain its drying capacity.

How Does a Desiccant Dryer Work?

The general working principle of desiccant air dryers is simple: moist air flows over hygroscopic material (desiccant) and is thereby dried. The exchange of water vapor from the moist compressed air into the desiccant causes the desiccant to gradually be saturated with adsorbed water. Therefore, the desiccant needs to be regenerated regularly to regain its drying capacity.

Is There Only One Type of Desiccant Dryer on the Market?

Actually, there are four types of desiccant dryers available - each with a specific method for regenerating the desiccant.

Purge regenerated adsorption dryers ("heatless-type dryers") use expanded compressed air to purge moisture from the desiccant. They are best suited for lower air flow applications.
Heated purge regenerated dryers heat the expanded purge air to improve purge efficiency and reduce energy consumption by 25% compared to heatless-type dryers.
Blower regenerated dryers blow heated ambient air to regenerate wet desiccant. Since no compressed air is used, energy consumption is 40% lower than for heatless-type dryers.
Heat of compression dryers regenerate desiccant with the heat naturally given off by the compressor, without consuming additional energy.

Are There Any New Developments Coming in Desiccant Dryers?

Yes, Atlas Copco developed and patented a revolutionary new solid desiccant called Cerades. Compared to granular desiccants, Cerades delivers higher air quality, lower energy and service costs, and health and environmental benefits. Compressed air flows straight through the Cerades structure, reducing pressure drop (up to 70%) in the dryer to save energy. It handles higher air flow that granular desiccant, so the dryer can be much smaller. Cerades is vibration resistant and can be mounted horizontally, so it works in applications that could not previously use a desiccant dryer. It also lasts longer than granular desiccant, doesn&#;t decay and break down into dust like granular desiccant, and delivers longer cycle times to improve energy efficiency and process productivity.

Want to learn more about desiccant dryers &#; or dryers in general? Contact an expert today!

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