Air compression involves making the molecules come closer, and thus force them to fit into a smaller space. This process involves an increase in temperature and is known as the heat of compression. In any air compressor or compression air dryer, this same process is involved and thus results in a lot of heat emission. It is dangerous to leave the heat emitted unattended because it can easily overheat the compressor and can result in an explosion.

Activated alumina balls as the drying medium in a heatless compression air dryer is the best choice to avoid this overheating of the compressor. Let’s look at the heatless compressed air dryer.

Heatless compressed Air dryer

By using activated alumina for the air dryers, we can devise the heatless compressed air desiccant dryer. A dual-chambered arrangement filled with desiccants is aligned to adsorb the water molecules from compressed air. The final output would be hot dry air. The heat of adsorption is retained by the desiccant balls and is prevented from being accumulated at the chamber outlet. This heat is further used for regeneration in the subsequent cycle to nullify the heat accumulation. Effective heat retention, a dense medium of high volumetric heat capacity can be introduced at the end of the adsorption chamber.

But this process consumes a portion of the dry air output from a compressed air dryer. The amount of this consumption can be reduced by the below methods:

• To the end of the desiccant chamber, a very small quantity of heat is introduced
• A low wattage dryer installed at end of the desorption chamber
• Vent the exhaust to vacuum

There are majorly two types of desiccant air dryers which are pressure swing compressed air dryers and externally heated compressed air dryers. The pressure swing regenerative dryers and the high-pressure swing dryers are efficient in reducing the accumulated heat from the entire system. These regenerative dryers make use of the adsorption heat energy retention concept to maintain the heat of compression within limits.

Air drying desiccant balls

The best air dryer desiccant beads in use are activated alumina. It is very important to keep compressed air free of moisture because moist compressed air can cause various damages to the compressor. The valves, motors, and insulations can be affected, the final product can be altered, rusting and corrosion, damage to pipes, total blockage of the system are some examples of the adverse effects of moisture content in the compressed air. So, it is very important to maintain the PDP of a compressor system as low as -40 degrees centigrade.

Regeneration dryers that involve activated alumina balls as adsorbents have doubtlessly proven to be highly efficient and effective. Activated alumina uses the concept of adsorption to trap water molecules that come in contact with the desiccant surface. With no chemical or thermal reactions involved, the use of desiccant air dryer beads is of low operating and maintenance cost. Activated alumina balls are non-toxic, colorless, tasteless, and insoluble, and have high thermal and mechanical strength.

The ease of regeneration of activated alumina balls is a highly recommendable feature. Activated alumina balls in the desorption chamber of the dryer are triggered to action as they saturate with the moisture content from the compressed air. It does not require any additional systems involved and in the context of heatless air compressor dryers, this regeneration phase helps to reduce the heat retained during the adsorption.

Sorbead India is one of the leading manufacturer of activated alumina balls over the years. The quality of desiccant balls, a wide range of quantities available, and easy access to products has helped us remain your trusted partner in all kinds of desiccant requirements. Our heatless compressor air dryer desiccant balls have proven to be highly efficient.

Activated alumina is one of the high performing desiccants among its counterparts. It is used for the purification of various liquids and gases. Been available in various grade, activated alumina balls have a huge surface area that can go above 200 sqm/gm. 

AD101 is the finest grade of activated alumina balls as it has a surface area of around 415sqm/gm. It is made of aluminium oxide and ranges from 1 - 3 mm (2mm), 2 - 5 mm (3.2mm), 5 - 8 mm (6.2mm), etc. 

Features of AD101 grade alumina:

• Resistant to thermal shocks
• Larger adsorption capacity
• Doesn’t shrink, swell or soften
• Higher porosity
• Low bulk density
• Can be used in high pressure
• Has very low attrition loss

Activated alumina balls specifications and parameters (AD101) are as below:

Application of AD101 grade alumina balls

Being an excellent performing adsorbent, AD101 grade alumina finds its application in compressed air dryers, air separation plants and heatless air dryers. One of the major applications is the fluoride removal by activated alumina. Fluoride levels in water if crosses a level can prove dangerous and lead to fluorosis.

By letting water through these powerful desiccants, the fluoride content from water is adsorbed that reducing the levels from 5ppm to less than 1ppm.

Other applications of AD101 grade alumina balls are removal of HCL from contaminated gas flow, Catalyst Bed Support, and Drying of Feed air to N2 – O2 Cryogenic plan,

Sorbead India is one of the prime activated alumina suppliers and manufacturers who deliver high-quality products to their clients across the globe. Contact for more details

If you wonder the connection between dew point and activated alumina then here, we are explaining the same to you. But before we get into more details let us define dew point first.

What is the dew point?

Dew point is the temperature below which water droplets start to condense and form dew. To reach dew point the air is cooled. This condensation process happens in stages. Once the air is cooled at first it becomes saturated with water vapors, next it forms liquid water and finally upon reaching dew points, the water vapor condenses and forms dew. Dew point measures the atmospheric moisture. Greater the dew point greater will be the moisture content in the atmosphere.

Use of activated alumina ball for better dew point

Activated alumina is used for various industrial applications to remove moisture content or impurities. With excellent surface area, perfect mechanical strength, great resistance to thermal shocks, activated alumina is used in multiple applications. Be it activated alumina for gas drying, activated alumina for fluoride removal or activated alumina for water treatment, all of these procedures require a dew point to be reached -40 ° C.

Conditions such as compressed air dryers where the reaching of dew point is quite an affair, activated alumina can be used. Most of the manufacturers design their activated alumina to give a dew point of -40 ° C (to the minimum) but under certain conditions such high pressure-activated alumina can be used to giver a dew point of -70 ° C.

Make proper use of activated alumina for better dew points. Only buy high-quality and good grade ones and never overuse the activated alumina.