The design of any air dryer is critical to its life span, with many, especially the smaller types for air compressors with capacities from 0,38 to 1,5 m³/min built to a price.
There are a number of components that make up a ‘normal’ dryer. They are a Freon compressor, a heat exchanger to cool the compressed air to 3°C and the finned condenser coil with its electric fan. It is the condenser coil and the fan that more often than not causes a dryer’s premature failure. The fan, on small capacity dryers, runs in a bush not a bearing.
Atmospheric dust and dirt can cause the bush to fail, which burns out the fan motor. When the fan stops the Freon system gets excessively hot, which burns out the Freon compressor winding as well. The result is an expensive repair requiring a new Freon compressor and fan motor, along with a gas refill and labour costs.
If the fan bush does not fail, the close fin design of the condenser is the next potential cause of failure. As dirt blocks the cooling air flow through the condenser the gas temperature rises, the fan switch overworks and the bush works harder along with the fan motor. Either elevated gas temperature causes a Freon compressor winding failure, or again, the bush fails, result, an expensive repair bill.
The TX Series of air dryers is unique in that it is designed to work under all site conditions. It has a static condenser, much the same as a wide spaced domestic fridge/freezer panel. It is an evaporative cooler with no fan, which means no fan motor or bush, and no close fin spacing so dirt cannot accumulate on the condenser coil. There are only three moving parts on the dryer, a timed electric condensate drain, the Freon compressor and a rotary dew point indicator.
The Freon circuit is very different to a ‘normal’ dryer. The gas leaving the compressor is passed into the static coil for cooling, using cooler atmospheric air, than the air to the Freon re-heater exchanger. This cools the hot Freon and simultaneously re-heats the c/air ready to enter the air line. The gas then passes to the main air to Freon exchanger to cool the compressed air to dew point. From there it returns to the compressor. It is probably the most reliable simple design ever used in the compressed air industry.
CompAir introduces compressed air management solution
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
To maximise savings and extend the lifespan of compressed air systems, CompAir is launching the Compressed Air Management Solution powered by Ecoplant, an intelligent system in the cloud that represents the next level in operational management, and maintain the health
Read more...Heavy impact, smart control Axiom Hydraulics
Editor's Choice Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Every now and then a project lands on your desk that’s equal parts heavy machinery and fine control - a tantalising mix for any engineer. A client approached Axiom Hydraulics with a project exactly like this.
Read more...Making lines safer with smarter connection Hydrasales
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Imagine connecting multiple hydraulic lines or a combination of hydraulic, electrical and grease lines with one single, confident movement. That’s the everyday convenience operators get from Faster’s MultiFaster multi-coupling systems.
Read more...Achieving clean and dry compressed air Artic Driers International
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Compressed air is an expensive source of motive power so it makes good sense to supply clean, dry compressed air to your distribution system.
Read more...Navigating ISO standards in hydraulic cylinder manufacturing
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
For hydraulics professionals, understanding and leveraging ISO standards is a powerful way to ensure quality and gain a competitive edge. Here is a guide to the most critical ISO standards for hydraulic cylinder manufacturing, showing how to use them to your advantage.
Read more...Hydraulic system upgrades to boost performance and save money CT Hydraulics (Nqoba)
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Those working with hydraulic or pneumatic systems know that keeping your machinery running at peak performance balances productivity and cost. As systems age, they often become less efficient, requiring more energy and more frequent repairs. The good news is that you don’t always need to invest in an entirely new machine to solve these problems.
Read more...Top 10 questions about pressure and temperature gauges SA Gauge
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Some questions never go out of date, and in our industry, a few have been asked for decades. At SA Gauge, we hear them every week. Here are the ten questions we hear most often, and the practical answers that can save time, money and frustration.
Read more...Axial piston pump series for next-gen hydraulic applications
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Moog has launched its new AXP Axial Piston Pump Series, a next-generation hydraulic solution engineered to deliver optimal performance, reliability and cost efficiency for industrial applications.
Read more...The role of analogue gauges in a digital world SA Gauge
Editor's Choice Pneumatics & Hydraulics
With so much focus on digital systems, remote monitoring and automation, it’s easy to assume that traditional analogue gauges have become outdated. Yet if you step into almost any plant, mine or processing facility, you’ll still find them in daily use, quietly doing their job without fuss.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version