Air Dryer Before Or After Tank

Air flows through the tank in this configuration entering through the bottom port from the compressor and exiting out the top to the dryer.

Air dryer before or after tank.

The process of compressing air raises its temperature and concentrates atmospheric contaminants primarily water vapor. Compressed air dryers are special types of filter systems that are specifically designed to remove the water that is inherent in compressed air. A refrigerated air dryer chills the compressed air to 33 40 degrees fahrenheit at which water vapor is condensed into a liquid and is then expelled from the system via a water trap and automatic drain. When the air warms up in the pipes any moisture that may have gotten there will be absorbed by the air and passed through the tools as vapor not droplets.

Wet storage tanks are located before the air drying system. Placing an air receiver before and after the dryer allows operators to reap the benefits of storing wet and dry air. Others will put the receiver before the dryer hoping that the compressed air in the tank the opportunity to sit awhile before being pulled downstream. Installing a dryer before the compressed air receiver can seldom be recommended.

Dryer installation downstream of after the air receiver has always been the traditional method with dryer installation upstream of before the air receiver being the more modern approach. Nevertheless each method has its own merits and drawbacks and each may be better suited to certain applications. Yes i know that statement is a mouthful. 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.

A dryer is any device that removes water vapor not just liquid lowering the dew point of the compressed air below its temperature. This will take out 80 85 per cent of the moisture. A refrogerated dryer should go after the tank to cool the dew point to below ambient temp. Consequently the compressed air is generally at an elevated temperature and 100 relative humidity.

To prevent condensation in the piping and at the point s of use an air dryer must be installed. The cool dry air then is typically re heated to around room temperature before exiting the dryer and going to your production lines. The wet receiver before the dryer provides control storage and condensate dropout and a second dry air receiver can meet sudden demand.