Dryers remove moisture and humidity from compressed air. This makes them a crucial component of your air system. That's because air is
completely saturated as it leaves your compressor. This moisture can cause contamination and corrosion that can affect your entire air
system, your pneumatic tools and even your final products. Using compressed air dryers is imperative, especially in industries with
stringent air quality requirements. Think food/beverage, electronics, manufacturing and automotive spray-painting. But how do you know which
type of compressed air dryer you need? A few basic considerations will ensure you make the right decision…
Air and environmental factors
Air dryers are sized based on your ambient temperature and incoming air, as well as the capacity of your air compressor. The larger the
power consumption of your compressor, the larger the flow the dryer must be able to handle. Most importantly, you want to choose the right
dryer based on the temperature of your environment and the air quality needs of your application.
Dew point versus relative humidity
Some industries must adhere to stringent compressed air quality standards. They require air with a specific dew point. This is the
temperature at which water vapor begins to condense into water. These high-quality air applications need the dew point of their compressed
air to be low and - very importantly - to be stable. However, only those who use compressed air in these critical applications should use
dew point. Companies that just want to prevent condensation of water in their pipelines and tools are well served with the term relative
humidity. Since the ambient temperature over the year fluctuates, a constant relative humidity results in a fluctuating dew point. That
would not be acceptable for critical applications, but it works just fine for those who only need condensation prevention. Either the risky
conditions occur in the winter, which means that a higher PDP is okay in the summer. Or, if the sensitive time is in the summer, then a
negative PDP is required in the winter. Note again that this only applies to condensation prevention.
Refrigeration dryers
Refrigeration dryers are your ideal solution if you meet the following criteria:
Your ambient temperature is less than 40°C/104°F
Your main goal is to prevent condensation
You need to achieve a dew point around 3°C-4°C/37°F-39°F
Refrigeration dryers use the same working principle as air conditioning units, cooling the air with a heat exchanger, a refrigerant circuit
and a compressor. They come in both cycling and non-cycling variants to fit the need of your applications and operational preferences.
Refrigeration dryers are very energy efficient, making them the most common dryer type.
Refrigeration dryers are often used in manufacturing plants, auto shops, food manufacturing, and breweries.
Adsorption dryers
If your ambient temperature and incoming air are over 40°C/104°F, typically a high-temp dryer is recommended. Installing
an after cooler after the compressor is also advised.
If you need very dry air (PDP of -40°C/-40°F or -70°C/-94°F) an adsorption dryer is your best choice. Adsorption dryers can
reach pressure dew points as low as -70°C/-94°F.
That makes adsorption dryers the ideal solution for very cold climates, as they can help avoid ice formation in pipes and applications. They
are also widely used in applications such as mold prevention, medical applications, textiles, and food factories.
These dryers use desiccant material to adsorb and remove the humidity from compressed air. Adsorption dryers consist of two towers. While
one tower is drying air, the other is removing the moisture from already saturated desiccant. This so-called regeneration process prepares
the desiccant for a new drying cycle.
Adsorption dryers also come in different technologies such as heatless dryers, heated purge dryers or blower purge and zero purge dryers.
Experts in compressed air dryers
Compressed air dryers are recommended for almost all applications. Determining the right dryer for your business is important to keep your
production running as safely, reliably and efficiently as possible. As the air treatment and gas generation expert, Ash Air is here to
help. Our representatives are always happy to answer your general air quality and specific dryer questions. They can also help you select
the compressed air dryer that best meets your needs.
Do you have an idea for our #expertcorner? Let
us know!
Who we are and how Ash Air can help your business!
Ash Air has been around in New Zealand since 1979, and we’ve grown into a nationwide company with international support and a
reputation for quality and reliability.We look after all things compressed air for your business!
Reciprocating, Screw, air compressors
Vacuum pumps
Nitrogen
An extensive line of air treatment components
Ash Air's range of Chicago Pneumatic, Alup, Pneumatech, and Quincy compressors are used extensively around the world in industries
ranging from oil and gas to food, automotive and farming, and we bring you these world class compressors here in the land of the long white
cloud.Our technicians are compressed air equipment experts and are dedicated to addressing customer needs. Supported by a 13 locations
nationwide, Ash Air offers one of the widest selections of compressed air equipment and parts available today in New Zealand.
Reliability and Efficiency
With Ash Air compressors, you can count on reliability and high performance for even the most demanding applications. We focus our
efforts on the following:
Air compressors come in many types, rotary screw, piston, scroll, reciprocating, some are oil-free and other air compressors require oil
lubrication. Like many businesses, an efficient air compressor is at the heart of their operations. So, which type of compressor should you
choose? What makes a compressor, like a rotary screw, unique? Here are some clear cut benefits of equipping your business with a rotary
screw compressor. Â
Read More…
In the world of compressors, there are often significant and unutilized energy-saving possibilities including energy recovery, pressure
reduction, leakage reduction and optimization of operations through correct choice of a control and regulation system as well as the choice
of compressor size.We are going to take a look at some of the opportunities for minimizing the compressor’s operating costs.Â
Read More…
Many installations that produce compressed air offer significant and frequently unutilized energy
saving possibilities in
the form of waste energy recovery. In large industries, energy costs can amount to 80% of the total cost of compressed
air production.
However, a lot of this energy can be recovered, which in turn will save you a lot of money.Â
Read More…
Liquid water in compressed-air systems can lead to rusted equipment and unresponsive controls. Anyone who uses compressed air will, at some
point, find liquid water in the air distribution system. This can be anything from a nuisance to a serious problem, depending on the
application. If water might corrode equipment or introduce bacteria, removing it is critical.Â
Read More…
Liquid water in compressed-air systems can lead to rusted equipment and unresponsive controls. Anyone who uses compressed air will, at some
point, find liquid water in the air distribution system. This can be anything from a nuisance to a serious problem, depending on the
application. If water might corrode equipment or introduce bacteria, removing it is critical.Â
Read More…
Whenever most people think about a compressor, they probably have a piston compressor in mind. You might already know there are two basic
principles of air compression. One of those is the principle of displacement compression. There are a lot of compressor types that classify
as a displacement compressor. The piston compressor is one of them, oil-lubricated or oil-free.Â
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Once you have the size and type of
compressor figured out, one last question remains, should I go with an oil lubricated or oil-free air compressor. To not overcomplicate the
answer, your choice should be based on the application and process that the compressed air will be utilized in.
Read More…
Like all compressor types, rotary screw models do require periodic maintenance. Thanks to the simplicity of the internal components,
maintenance is relatively easy on most rotary air compressors. As long as you stick to a rotary screw compressor maintenance schedule, you
will likely be rewarded with many, many years of optimal productivity from your machine.Â
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Did you know, the biggest part of the air we breathe is nitrogen? Everyone needs oxygen to survive, however air is made up of 78% nitrogen,
only 21% oxygen and tiny amounts of other gases. Although, the human body does not use this nitrogen, it is very helpful in various
industrial applications. There is an unlimited source of nitrogen readily available, allowing you to achieve needed purity at a fraction of
your current annual nitrogen cost.Â
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If you notice that your compressor is getting hot and bothered, there may be heating issues affecting your air compressors performance. Did
you know that an overheating compressor is top of the pops for being the most common cause of compressor failure.Â
Read More…
A rotary-screw compressor is an air compressor that uses a rotary-type positive-displacement mechanism, typically used replace piston
compressors where large volumes of high-pressure air are needed, either for large industrial applications or to operate high-power air
tools.Â
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Have a look around and what do you see? What are you thinking about? Your next holiday to Queenstown maybe? You might go snowboarding with
the kids or have some alone time at the Day Spa. Whatever holiday you choose, compressed air is involved in some way, without you even
realising it! Â
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There are crucial reasons why you should service and maintain your compressor regularly, with the most common issues being piston failure
caused by wear of components, increased friction, corrosion, reduced cooling, overheating bearings and components, clogging of air filters.Â
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Our passion for energy efficiency and cost saving derives from the concern for our children’s future. Analysing the efficiency of your
system is a brilliant way to start saving.
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Compressed air is all around us, from the air in a balloon to pumping up tires on your bicycle. In this article we will explain what
compressed air is and how it is created. Whether you know it or not, compressed air is involved in every aspect of our lives, from the
balloons at your birthday party to the air in the tires of our cars and bicycles. It was probably even used when making the phone, tablet or
computer you’re viewing this on.Â
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One of the biggest challenges is to correctly size your new air compressor. Similarly to everything else, new compressors available on the
market are more efficient and employ better technology, therefore you have to understand the application and usage to size the machine
correctly. Choosing the wrong air compressor for your facility can lead to problems with production and or increased costs due to wasted
energy.Â
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Once you have the size of the air compressor figured out, the
next thing to do is to decide on the type of compresor you will need for your application - piston, rotary screw compressor etc. Let us take
a look at two of the most popular options available. When choosing the right type of compressor, you should ask yourself the following
questions:
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​Which vacuum pump do I need? - this is one of the most frequent questions we receive and this is understandable, because there are number
of technologies which can provide the same vacuum level and pumping speed. Here is quick advice on how to choose the best vacuum pump for
your needs.Â
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You may be asking, why does my air compressor start, then stop? Allow us to take the guessing out of it. We understand your pain. We know
that a compressor problem can quickly result in hours (if not days) of production downtime and loss of revenue. When your compressor
continuously shuts off from on, we refer that as a short cycle. There are a few reasons that a short cycle may be happening with your
compressor.Â
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Air compressor leaks are very common in all applications, but can be very costly and difficult to find. On average, 20-30% of the compressed
air used in a manufacturing plant is wasted as leaked air. Finding and fixing these leaks can save your business thousands of wasted dollars
a year.Â
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When installing a compressed air system into a business, people often look to PVC piping as an option to build a piping system because it is
cheap, versatile and easy to install. However, using PVC pipe in any compressed air application is extremely dangerous and NOT recommended
by multiple associations and manufacturers.Â
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Changing the oil and oil filters on your compressor is one of the most common routine maintenance tasks to perform to keep your compressor
running efficiently. After you remove your old oil and oil filter, you may find yourself wondering, “Where do I dispose of these?”, or “Can I
just throw them in the trash?”. Because oil is toxic and a pollutant, disposing of your old oil and filters is not as simple as just tossing
them in the trash.Â
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