Selecting the right compressed air dryer

Choosing the right compressed air dryer

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:

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!

Useful links:

Book Your Compressor Service

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:

  • Increasing uptime
  • Reducing unexpected repairs
  • Reducing energy consumption
  • Improving the cleanliness of compressed air


Talk to the team today:  CONTACT US CONTACT US

Read more from our #expertcorner


Just like any other equipment, a compressed air installation also requires the necessary maintenance work during its entire lifespan. Even though maintenance costs are only about 5 to 10% of a machine's annual operating costs, failure to budget for maintenance can have potentially disastrous consequences. …


The air dyer is one of the most ignored cooler in the system. A dirty condenser will cause water in the lines, or worse it will cause complete dryer failure. …


Using nitrogen is not about fully replacing CO2, but it can reduce their consumption of CO2 by close to 70%. Using nitrogen is about sustainability. Creating your own nitrogen is easy and will reduce the use of a greenhouse gas, which is better for the environment. It will also save you money as early as month one adding that savings to your bottom line. …


A question that is occasionally asked by our customers to Ash Air is 'what is the cost of compressed air?'  This article looks at the product costs involved with compressed air, as well as minimising the energy cost of compressors and cost allocation. When looking at these factors, we need to realise what causes dropped efficiency of your compressor, leading to increased costs of compressed air. …


You may have great fall protection measures in place to keep employees safe when working at height, but what about their co-workers below? Dropped tools and other falling objects are a major hazard – and one that isn’t always fully addressed.  …


Providing a safe working environment for operators is essential, especially when using pneumatic tools and compressed air. If there is a failure in the air network and the hose is not adequately clamped, the resulting whiplash could be devastating. Failure to follow best practice can result in injuries, associated production downtime and decreased productivity. …


A common questions asked is why do I need an air dryer for my compressor? Typically, air compressors produce water, and although the water can be drained, there can still be aerosol and vapour droplets that are present. This is because water cannoet be compressed. Water can damage your compressor by corroding the valves, pipes and machinery controls, which will cost you time and money to resolve. In the long run, the cost of a new compressor is a small price to pay compared to the loss of production that could potentially arise due to water damage in your compressor.





…


Air compressors can fail for an assortment of different reasons: Normal wear and tear, lifespan and age of the unit, poor maintenance, power surge, install issues are just a few the come to mind. Check out this blog to find out our top 7 tips to ensure your compressor is looked after!  …

Show More