As I’m sure you have learnt, water vapor can have a negative affect on your compressed air system when not managed properly. And it’s something you can’t ignore. Due to the nature of air compressing it’s inevitable that water vapor will, at some point or another, appear in your system.
Today we’re going to discuss two of the different ways of removing water vapor from your compressed air system.
How to Remove Water Vapor From A Compressed Air System
Thanks to technological advancements, removing water vapor from a compressed air system is possible.
While tools like coalescing filters and other separators are first used to remove droplets of oil and water, they can only remove very small amounts of solid particulates. To efficiently remove water vapor you should use a dryer.
The most common techniques of water vapor removal are through desiccant and refrigeration dryers, which feature as the topic of today’s discussion.
Water Vapor Removal Through Desiccant Dryers
Desiccant dryers are one of the most commonly used tools for water vapor removal in compressed air systems and, due to its low dewpoints, is often used in critical applications.
They remove water vapor by absorbing the moisture from compressed air and capturing it on some kind of desiccant material. Commonly used materials are activated alumina, molecular sieves and silica gel. However, once the desiccant is saturated it needs to be regenerated.
Water Vapor Removal through Refrigeration Dryers
Refrigeration dryers work by cooling the air to allow vapor to condense and then drain the resulting liquid away.
They’re ideal for producing general purpose compressed air and have low installation & operational costs because waste air is not a factor.
However, refrigeration dryers aren’t without disadvantages. Some of the downsides are that they’re limited to a certain temperature to avoid freezing and they aren’t suitable for piping in ambient temperatures below the dryer dewpoint as any remaining water vapor will condense.
Vanishing Vapor
Are you battling with water vapor in your compressed air system? Or, do you just want to get an expert’s opinion on your current system? CDA Systems is happy to help. Call us today so we can talk more about your concerns. 925.667.3400/sales@cdasystems.com