ALM Adsorption Dryers

ALM Adsorption Dryers

Contents
ALMiG adsorption dryers

General function of adsorption dryer

Overview of ALM adsorption dryers
ALM adsorption dryers
ALM-CCD
ALM-CD
ALM-WD
Special models
Adsorption dryer design
ALM-HOC

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 ALM Adsorption Dryers

Classification of moisture reg. DIN ISO 8573-1:2010

Moisture classes acc. to

DIN ISO 8573-1:2010
Class Pressure dew point

0 as specified by operator

1 ≤ -70 °C
2 ≤ -40 ℃
3 ≤ -20 °C
4 ≤ +3 ℃
5 ≤ +7 °C
6 ≤ +10 ℃

Area for
adsorption drying

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 ALM Adsorption Dryers

ALMiG
drying procedures

Condensation Adsorption

Refrigeration dryer Adsorption dryer

(Pressure Dew Point ≥ +3°C) (PDP < 3°C to -70°C)

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 ALM Adsorption Dryers

If cooling to +3°C (corresponding to a residual moisture level of

5.95 g/m3) is not sufficient, e.g.

pipelines above ground level (cold in winter)

outdoor receivers / consumers
the process requires drier air
etc.
the
adsorption dryer
drying system must be used.

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 ALM Adsorption Dryers

Adsorption drying

The adsorption principle:

The water vapour contained in the compressed air is bound to the surface of a granulate-
shaped drying agent (adsorbate) by the forces of adhesion. Depending on the drying agent
used, pressure dew points of down to -70°C can be attained.

Note:
Unlike the refrigeration drying process, the compressed air is not cooled.

The adsorption process itself requires no energy; energy only has to be used to
regenerate the adsorbate, i.e. to remove the moisture collected. Since the
regeneration process requires a certain amount of time, an adsorption dryer always
consists of two receivers, one of which is always operating while the other is
regenerating or 'drying'.

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 ALM Adsorption Dryers

General function of adsorption dryer

An adsorption dryer consists of 2 receivers:
One receiver is used to dry the compressed air
(1).

The drying agent is

1 2 regenerated in the other receiver, i.e. moisture is
now expelled (2).
The system switches between the two depending
on loading or at defined intervals.

2 possible forms of regeneration:

Reduction in moisture to
ISO class 1-3,  cold regeneration
Pressure dew point: ≥ -70°C/ -  warm regeneration
20°C

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 ALM Adsorption Dryers

Adsorption Drying in general

An adsorption dryer consists of 2 receivers:

One receiver is used to dry the compressed air (1).

Second receiver is used for the regeneration of

desiccant, which means reduction of moisture (2).
1 2

There will be switched between the receiver

regarding time intervals or charge load..

2 possibilities of regeneration:
Humidity reduced to
ISO class 1-3,  cold regeneration
DTP: ≥ -70°C/ -20°C  warm regeneration

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 ALM Adsorption Dryers

Types of adsorption drying

Cold regeneration Warm regeneration
Regeneration with a partial flow Regeneration with
of dry compressed air supply of heat

Internal warm With compressor heat

regeneration (HOC)
Caution
10 – 20 % of the valuable
compressed air is used as Regeneration with a Regeneration through use
purge / regenerating air. partial flow of dry of compressor heat, no
compressed air and additional energy supply
internal, electric heating

• Collection of moisture • Collection of moisture on the

on outer surface only internal and external surface
• Short adsorption time of 4 – 10 min • Long adsorption time of 4 – 10 h

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Overview of ALM adsorption dryers

ALM-CCD
Cold regeneration - compact series

ALM-CD
Cold regeneration

ALM-WD
Warm regeneration

ALM-HOC
Heat of Compression

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ALM Adsorption Dryers

ALM-CCD
(Compact Cold Desiccant)

Key data:
Cold-regenerated adsorption dryer

Volume flow: 9 – 45 m³/h

Pressure dew point: -40°C; -70°C
Operating pressure: 3 – 10 bar
Ambient temperature: 5 – 50°C

Advantages:
•Compact and space-saving / wall mounting possible
•Variable pressure dew point, can be set using
microswitch
 10 min. cycle for -40°C
 4 min. cycle for -70℃
•Low maintenance costs
•Simple installation / operation
•Constant pressure dew point

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ALM Adsorption Dryers

ALM-CD
(Cold Desiccant)

Key data:
Cold-regenerated adsorption dryer

Volume flow: 100 – 9400 m³/h

Pressure dew point: -20°C; -40°C; -
70°C
Operating pressure: 4 – 10 bar (higher

pressures on request)
Ambient temperature: 5 – 50℃
Advantages:
•Constant low pressure dew point
•Low investment, low maintenance costs
•Simple installation / operation
•EMS Energy Management System (optional)
•Virtually maintenance-free process valves

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ALM- cold regeneration in detail

1 Phase 2 Phase
Compressed air outlet Compressed air outlet

Drying at Drying at
operating operating Pressure
pressure pressure increase

Regeneration outlet

Compressed air inlet

Compressed air inlet

Once the adsorbent in the left-hand receiver

The left-hand receiver adsorbs the
is saturated and regeneration is taking place
compressed air while the right-hand one is
in the right-hand receiver, they change over.
busy with regeneration.
The pressure in the right-hand receiver is
first balanced using system compressed air.
The adsorbent is protected from major
changes in pressure
 The adsorbent life is extended
 ALM Adsorption Dryers

ALM- cold regeneration in detail

3 Phase 4 Phase
Compressed air outlet Compressed air outlet

Drying at Drying at
operating operating
pressure pressure
Buildup of pressure

Regeneration outlet

Compressed air inlet Compressed air inlet

As soon as the right-hand receiver has built
up pressure, they change over and the
right-hand one starts adsorbing.
Regeneration takes place in the left-hand
receiver.
Once the adsorbent in the right-hand receiver is now
saturated and regeneration is taking place in the left-
hand receiver, they change back again.
The pressure in the left-hand receiver is then balanced
using system compressed air.

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Adsorption dryer design

Vnom: Nominal volume flow at dryer inlet.

To get the volume flow of dried compressed air,

please subtract 15% from that calculation
because of regeneration air.
The detailed design will be done project-wise.
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ALM Adsorption Dryers

ALM-WD
(warm desiccant)

Key data:
Warm-regenerated adsorption dryer

Volume flow: 245 – 4280 m³/h

Pressure dew point: -40°C
Operating pressure: 4 – 16 bar
Ambient temperature: 5 – 50°C
Purge air / cooling air share just 2.5%

Regeneration by heating elements inside the

receivers.

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Advantages:

•Ideal positioning of heating elements in drying bed

 Direct heat transfer to the adsorbent
 Optimum use of regenerative energy
Ideal distribution of heat
•No fan / no external blower thanks to optimum
positioning of heating
 No contact with the ambient air and therefore no ingress of liquid elements
molecules / particles / etc.
 Longer drying agent life
 No additional noise from fans / blowers

•Simple installation/operation
•Low maintenance costs
•EMS Energy Management System (optional)

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ALM- warm regeneration in detail

Heating & Drying Cooling Drying

regeneration 4,5 hours 1,25 hours
3 hours max.

• The compressed air flows through the right-hand • As soon as the moisture is removed from the dry
receiver, the adsorption agent dries the compressed granulate, the heating elements are switched off
air • The purge air from the right-hand receiver is used to
• Desorption through internal heating takes place in the cool the granulate
left-hand receiver
• A small partial flow of the air dried in the right-hand
receiver is pressure-relieved and used to dry the moist
granulate in the left-hand receiver.
• The moist air is blown outside via a silencer

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ALM- warm regeneration in detail

Stand-by and Drying Drying Drying

pressure balancing

• The valve on the purge air output is closed, pressure
in the left-hand receiver is balanced until operating
pressure is reached in the two receivers
• The compressed air in the right-hand receiver
continues to be dried
• Once operating pressure has been reached in the left-
hand receiver, compressed air is dried in both
receivers in parallel for a short time

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ALM- warm regeneration in detail

Drying Expansion Heating &

Drying
regeneration

• The valve on the purge air outlet in the right-hand • 1 complete adsorption and desorption process is now
receiver is opened and operating pressure reduced complete.
• Dying takes place in the left-hand receiver • The next function process starts but the receiver
functionalities are now reversed

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 ALM Adsorption Dryers

Adsorption dryer design

To get the volume flow of dried compressed air, please

subtract 2,5% from that calculation because of regeneration
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air.
The detailed design will be done project-wise.
 ALM Adsorption Dryers

Take care when designing adsorption dryers:

Compressor
Refrigeration dryer

10 m3/min of dry compressed air is

10 m /min
3
10 m /min
3
fed into the pipework system.

Adsorption dryer
warmregeneration

Close to 9.75 m3/min of dry

9.75 m /min
3
10 m3/min compressed air is fed into the
pipework system.

Adsorption dryer
coldregeneration
10-20% compressed air loss
10 m3/min 8.5 m3/min
through
cold regeneration
 Only around 8.5 m3/h of dry
compressed air is fed into the
pipework system.
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ALM-HOC
(heat of compression)

In our oil-free compression systems

• oil-free DUPLEXX screw compressor or
• DYNAMIC turbo series
the compressed air can be dried using heat from the compressor. Is
the compression heat large enough, drying can be done without an
additional supply of energy.

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ALM Adsorption Dryers

ALM-HOC
(heat of compression)

Key data:
Pressure dew point: down to -40°C
Volume flow: 800 – 6000 m³/h
Operating pressure: 5 – 10 bar
Adsorption temperature: 35°C
Hot air inlet temp.: max. 230°C
Cooling water temperature: max. 32℃
Ambient temperature: 5 – 40℃
Compression temperature: 140 – 180°C

Requirements for use:

Oil-free compression
Compressor with integrated aftercooler
Hot air connection
Cold air connection

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 ALM Adsorption Dryers

Advantages:

•Dry compressed air is produced immediately after starting up / starting back up

•Low pressure losses of just 0.2 to 0.3 bar under design conditions
•Partial load of up to 20% of capacity with guaranteed pressure dew point
•Intermittent compressor operation is possible at guaranteed pressure dew point
•Low maintenance costs
Replacing the adsorption agent costs around 15-20% of the system price
The drying agent can be replaced a bit at a time
Only standard DIN/ISO components commonly found on the market are used

•Systems can be increased to any size (scale-up)

•Large volume of adsorption agent, therefore:
 one regeneration cycle in 2 to 4 hours
 Long adsorption agent life (up to 10 years)

•The high-temperature zinc coating on the pipes and separator offers max. corrosion
protection, especially for the inner areas at particular risk
•High reliability by: - Compact cooler design
- Safe condensate drain
- Protected cables and pipes
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Function
Desorption phase

The hot partial flow of compressed air coming from the compressor flows over the hot air inlet K1 and the 4/2-way tap
cock HK2 (connection 3/2) into the desorbing adsorption receiver B2.
The moisture absorbed by the drying agent evaporates and passes to the cooler along with the partial flow of desorption
air via the 4/2-way tap cock HK1 (connection 2/1) and fitting K3. Here the compressed air is cooled to the adsorption inlet
temperature required.
The condensate collected during cooling is discharged from the compressed air system via the downstream separator. The
cooled partial flow of desorption air then flows behind the butterfly valve KS1 into the partial flow of cold air coming
from the compressor.
The partial air flow required for regeneration can be adjusted by hand using the butterfly valve KS1.
The volume flow now again corresponds to the compressor's delivery volume. The entire compressed air flow is fed via HK1
(connection 3/4) into the adsorption receiver B1 intended for adsorption. The flows pass from the bottom up through the
drying agent bed during adsorption. During this passage, the drying agent absorbs the moisture. The dry compressed air
passes to the points of consumption via the 4/2-way tap cock HK2 (connection 4/1) and system outlet.
The desorption process decreases the amount of moisture in the drying agent.
As the moisture level falls, the outlet temperature of the desorption air flow increases.
Desorption is complete when the temperature of the desorption air flow on the adsorber outlet side (here B2) has reached
the temperature required by the procedure.
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Function
Cooling
phase

In order to prevent peaks in temperature and dew point after changing over, the heat stored in the drying agent is cooled by
the partial flow of cold compressed air after the desorption phase.

The cold partial flow of compressed air coming from the compressor passes to the heated adsorption bed via the valve K4
and the 4/2-way tap cock HK1 (connection 1/2).
During this flow, the cold partial flow of compressed air absorbs the heat stored in the drying agent.
The partial flow of compressed air heated by the drying agent flows to the cooler where it is cooled down to the adsorption
temperature. The cooled partial flow of cooling air then flows behind the butterfly valve KS1 into the partial flow of cold air
coming from the compressor.
The volume flow now again corresponds to the compressor's delivery volume. The entire compressed air flow is fed via the 4/2-
way tap cock HK1 (connection 3/4) into the adsorption receiver B1 intended for adsorption. The flows pass from the bottom up
through the drying agent bed during adsorption. During this passage, the drying agent absorbs the moisture.
The dry compressed air passes to the points of consumption via the 4/2-way tap cock HK2 (connection 4/1) and system outlet.

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Function
Stand-by

Stand-by
If the adsorption phase is being monitored and terminated by a control system dependent on dew point (optional), the
length of the standby phase depends on the loading state of the adsorption receiver (here B1).
The process of changing over is only initiated once the drying agent breakthrough capacity (increase in pressure dew point)
is reached.
If the system is being operated in "time-dependent changeover" mode, the process of changing over is initiated after the set
cycle time.

Process of changing over

Once the standby phase is complete, adsorption on the regenerated receiver (here B2) is moved into the corresponding
position by reversing the 4/2-way tap cocks HK1 and HK2.
The receiver saturated with moisture B1 is now in the desorption phase, while the adsorption receiver B2 starts to dry the
compressed air.

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HOC vs. rotary dryer

Heat of compression (HOC) Rotary dryer

- Dry compressed air is produced immediately - Dry compressed air is only produced
after starting up and starting back up after a stabilisation period

- Pressure losses of 0.2 to 0.3 bar under - Pressure losses of between 0.2 and 0.6 bar
design conditions

- Partial load of up to 20% of capacity at -Poorly suited to partial load operation

guaranteed pressure dew point (Pressure dew point increases)

- Intermittent compressor operation at -Intermittent operation causes

guaranteed pressure dew point fluctuations in pressure dew point

- Stable pressure dew points of down to -40°C -Pressure dew points of down to -20°C under
normal operating conditions. PDP is not stable
for changing volume flows.

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HOC vs. rotary dryer
Heat of compression (HOC)
- Low maintenance costs:
• Changing the adsorption agent costs
around 15-20% of the system price
• The drying agent can be replaced at bit at a
time
• Only standard DIN/ISO components
commonly found on the market are used
- Large volume of adsorption agent, therefore:
• One regeneration cycle in 2 to 4 hours
• Long adsorption agent life iii(up to 10 years)
- Systems can be increased to any size
(scale-up)
Rotary dryer
- High maintenance costs:
• Changing the adsorption agent costs
around 50% of the system price
• The drum can only be replaced in one piece
• Use of manufacturer-specific components
- Low volume of adsorption agent, therefore:
• Up to six regeneration cycles per hour
• Short adsorption drum life (4-5 years)
- Scale-up not possible
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Design HOC-Dryer

HOC-Dryer must be designed individually for each application.

Following information and parameters are necessary:

-Number of compression stages

-Existance of a cold or a hot air outlet
-Size of volume flow
-Operating pressure and temperature of the compressed air before last
stage (after intermediate cooler)
-Outlet temperature before aftercooler(„hot“)
-Outlet temperature behind aftercooler („cold“)
-Final pressure
-Temperature of cooling water
-Suction conditions (climatic values)
-Suction pressure (height above sea level)
-Ambient temperature
-Necessary pressure dew point (summer / winter)
 ALM Adsorption Dryers

ALMiG Kompressoren GmbH

Adolf-Ehmann-Strasse 2 • 73257 Köngen
Sales tel. no.: +49 (0)7024 9614-240
Sales e-mail address: sales@almig.de
www.almig.de

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