In order for the compressed air system to function properly, the air must be dry. This means that before entering the air network, the air must have no liquid moisture and low relative humidity. Different methods can be used to remove moisture from compressed air, which will help maintain high air quality. One of the mainstream equipment for drying compressed air is a refrigeration dryer, which can be classified into fixed frequency or variable frequency.
What is a refrigerated dryer?
As the name suggests, refrigerated dryers can cool compressed air. This causes the water in the compressed air to condense and separate from the air itself. It is a vital air system component for applications that need to dry the compressed air to a low dew point.
In the first stage, the compressed air enters the dryer and passes through the air to the air heat exchanger, which pre-cools the incoming air.
In the second stage, the compressed air enters the refrigerant heat exchanger through the air, reducing the dew point of the compressed air to 3C/37F. The water vapor in the air condenses into a liquid, which is captured and removed. Then the dry air is heated in a heat exchanger to reduce the relative humidity in the air; this prevents the formation of condensate in the downstream pipes
What is the difference between a fixed frequency dryer and a variable frequency dryer?
The refrigerant compressor in the fixed frequency dryer runs continuously. Due to changes in ambient temperature and compressed air flow, bypass valves are often used to adjust the temperature of the refrigerant while preventing freezing operating conditions in the system. Traditional refrigerant air dryers usually use piston compressors running at a fixed speed. In terms of energy efficiency, this leads to the same in fixed speed air compressors; on or off
Disadvantages. In contrast, the inverter refrigeration dryer uses a scroll compressor. One spiral element of the scroll compressor runs around a second fixed element. It is compact and quiet, and the inverter driving the rolling elements can change the speed to suit the demand, thus saving energy
If there is an inverter compressor, should I choose an inverter dryer? If there is a fixed frequency compressor, do I need a fixed frequency dryer? For processes with stable compressed air demand, fixed-frequency compressors and fixed-frequency dryers can provide the required air cost-effectively and efficiently. For processes where the compressed air demand varies with factors such as the process, workload or shift, the inverter compressor can match the output of compressed air to the demand. Although the size of the fixed frequency dryer can meet the maximum output of the inverter compressor, the ability of the inverter dryer to match the energy consumption of the dryer with the air demand can also significantly save energy and operating costs
