What’s a Compressor Air Dryer?

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A compressor air dryer is a machine that removes water and contaminants from previously compressed air systems. This machine is part of a large air compressor system commonly found in gas production plants. Two major filtration processes can be used in a compressor air dryer, including refrigeration and desiccant adsorption. As a result, the final air output can be used to create clean gases ranging from helium to pure oxygen.

Refrigeration processes manipulate the internal dew point of the machine to remove water and contaminants from the compressed gas. The compressor dryer has a cooling mechanism within its assembly to lower the internal air temperature so that the dew point rises. Due to the higher dew point, water and other contaminants condense out of the compressed gas. The machine effectively eliminates condensate and allows clean compressed air to continue the manufacturing process.

Compressor adsorption air drying processes use a water vapor adsorption material, such as activated alumina or silica gel, to remove contaminants from the air. The moist compressed air enters a tank which has a desiccant material; the air naturally loses its water and contaminants as the desiccant drives it away from the surrounding molecules. The lighter, drier compressed air moves away from the adsorption material and can go on to further manufacturing processes.

A disadvantage of using desiccant is the need to dry the sorbent material between cycles of the machine. The desiccant material can only hold a certain amount of water and contaminants before becoming saturated. Companies need to assemble a regeneration tank to allow the desiccant to evaporate the water vapor before another cycle of the machine.

Another major benefit of combining an industrial compressor with a compressor air dryer is the removal of oil droplets within the air mass. The starter air compressor normally uses an oil lubricated motor to draw outside air into the machine for compression. Small droplets of oil can enter the compressed air from the engine, adding another contaminant to the air supply. The compressor dryer allows the water vapor to be extracted from the gas molecules, while also effectively sucking up the oil droplets.

Because small amounts of oil may be present in water condensate, industrial companies need to dispose of the contaminants in an environmentally safe process. Water can’t just be flushed down a water drain; many companies use separator machines to extract the oil from the condensate before disposal. This separator machine would normally be installed directly after the compressor dryer.

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