Just because an air dryer is switched on and indicates a dew point, does not mean dry compressed air is being delivered to the user's plant.
Many problems can affect the dryness of compressed air. These are a few known reasons for wet compressed air entering a compressed air system from a seemingly perfect dryer:
* Air to air heat exchanger tube failure, allowing wet air to short-circuit the dryer.
* Blocked automatic drain.
* Blocked strainer on drainage system.
* Timer failure on drain system.
* Dryer bypass open.
* Dryer trip out.
* Freon compressor thermal trip.
To prevent this problem occurring requires constant expensive supervision or an automated approach to system control.
Artic Driers has developed the 'air treatment monitoring system' (ATMS) to monitor the compressed air quality leaving the air dryer. Comprising six levels of supervision the system monitors and alerts operators of problems via a plant maintenance system.
Level 1 provides the dryer with an intelligent level-controlled condensate drain that incorporates volt free contacts to signal a malfunction if a problem occurs. Level-controlled drains significantly reduce compressed air wastage and save money.
When Level 3 is selected, it embraces all the lower levels, eg, 1 and 2 and incorporates level-controlled drains on the filters, differential pressure (DP) gauges with alarm function providing alarm signals when the DP exceeds preset levels, high dew point alarm signals, with LCD display, as well as level controlled drains on the dryer system.
At Level 6 every possible contingency is catered for and this level includes the facility to monitor everything including the oil carry over performance of filtrations systems down to 0,001 ppm.
The ATM systems can be configured for adsorption air dryers with dew point performances as low as minus 70°C.
Compressed air treatment do’s and don’ts Artic Driers International
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