Some demanding applications in the food and beverage industry require extremely dry compressed air. The drier the air needs to be, the lower the pressure dew point needs to be and the lower the pressure dew point, the higher the level of complexity, space requirement and cost involved. This article first appeared in the October 2021 issue of Food and Drink Business.
Kaeser Compressors offers an integrated and intelligent solution that is energy efficient and space saving with its dry-running rotary screw compressors integrated heat of compression (i.HOC) dryers.
The dryer is integrated within the dry-running compressor and the desiccant is contained in a drum through which the compressed air flows in an axial direction. Desiccant regeneration and compressed air drying take place continuously, within a single pressure receiver. The drying and regeneration sectors are separated, both structurally and in terms of process. Slight pressurisation of the drying sector ensures that once dried, the compressed air does not reabsorb moisture from the regeneration air flowing by, in the adjacent sector.
In i.HOC dryers, desiccant regeneration takes place continuously, using the heat that already exists in the hot compressed air. Following the final air compression stage in the compressor, the hot compressed air is not sent to the compressors second stage coolers and lost, but it is diverted directly to the drying sector of the integrated rotating dryer before it exits the compressor.
The heat arising as a result of compression of the air is therefore also used for desiccant regeneration. This heat is freely available without cost, as no additional energy is required for the drying process. This translates into maximum efficiency and outstanding drying reliability.
