<BR>
Fig. 5.19: Dryer before the compressed air receiver | Advantages:
- Dried air in the compressed air receiver.
No precipitation of condensate in the compressed air receiver.
- Consistent compressed air quality.
Even with abrupt, heavy withdrawal of compressed air the pressure dew point of the compressed air remains unchanged.
Disadvantages:
- Large size dryer.
The dryer must be designed for the entire effective output of installed compressor. The dryer is often over-dimensioned if consumption is low.
- Drying of pulsating compressed air.
As a result of their construction, piston compressors in particular deliver a pulsating flow of air. This puts stress on the dryer.
- High entry temperature of compressed air.
The compressed air comes directly from the after-cooler of the compressor.
- Drying of a partial air flow is not possible.
- Large quantity of condensate.
The entire quantity of condensate precipitates in the dryer.
- With systems containing several compressors, each compressor must have a dryer connected.
Conclusion
Installing a dryer before the compressed air receiver can seldom be recommended. However, an arrangement of this type makes good sense when sudden peaks of requirement are anticipated and the quality of the compressed air must not deteriorate. |