How to find the better desiccant dryer

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How to find the better desiccant dryer

An adsorption or desiccant dryer uses desiccant material to adsorb and remove the humidity from compressed air. It will come as no surprise then that the type and quality of the desiccant material are of the utmost importance. Adsorption dryers can only be effective and (energy) efficient if they contain quality desiccant. Pneumatech carefully selects the desiccant for its adsorption dryers from a wide range of premium European and North American suppliers. We base this selection on the following criteria: crushing strength, water resistance, anti-aging effect, and a revolutionary new technology. Here’s why each of those 4 criteria is so important.

1. Crushing strength

Desiccant is subject to a continuous, cyclical load. Due to this load, low-quality desiccant will easily break up. This will cause the desiccant to quickly lose its water retention capabilities. In addition, it will create small dust particles that can block valves and/or clog the downstream dust filter and silencer. This dust can also create a health and environmental hazard during servicing. All of this means that quality desiccant offers a high crushing strength. The graph below shows how much higher the different desiccants that Pneumatech uses perform on crushing strength.

2. Water resistance

Subpar desiccant degrades when it comes into contact with liquid water. All Pneumatech adsorption dryers are equipped with water-resistant desiccant material in the bottom of the vessel. This improves the dryers’ performance and lengthens the lifetime of the desiccant.

3. Anti-aging effect

All desiccants age, but some significantly faster than others. They degrade after a couple of months because of pressure, temperature or air humidity variations. This leads to performance problems and higher maintenance costs.

Pneumatech adsorption dryers come with desiccant material that is selected for its durability. In addition, they are overfilled to cope with this aging affect or with temporary overloads.

4. A revolutionary new technology

What if you could enjoy all the benefits of adsorption drying without the drawbacks of dealing with traditional desiccant material? That is no longer a hypothetical question. Pneumatech has introduced a new type of structured desiccant that revolutionizes adsorption dryer efficiency, performance and reliability. Traditional desiccant beads create a turbulent and unevenly distributed air flow. The straight tubes of our solid desiccant ensure a much more efficient air flow to give you significant energy savings. Solid desiccant also offers a 40% longer lifetime, eliminates the harmful desiccant dust and makes maintenance much faster and easier.

Choosing the right desiccant dryer

The quality of the desiccant used in your dryer plays a crucial role in both performance and efficiency. A high-quality desiccant dryer not only delivers consistently dry compressed air but also helps reduce energy consumption, lower maintenance costs, and extend equipment lifespan — all while minimising potential health and environmental risks. Desiccant, or adsorption dryers, use hygroscopic materials to remove moisture from compressed air, typically through a twin tower setup. While one tower is actively drying the air, the other regenerates the saturated desiccant, allowing for a continuous, uninterrupted supply of clean, dry air.

This makes desiccant dryers particularly well suited for sensitive environments that require very low pressure dew points (down to -70°C/-94°F), such as cold climates, food production, medical applications, textile manufacturing, and mould prevention.

Get in touch

If you're unsure which desiccant dryer suits your application, our experts are here to help. With deep knowledge in air treatment and gas generation, the Pneumatech team can guide you towards the right solution for your air quality needs. Just reach out — we’re ready when you are.

Contact our air treatment experts

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