Blogs

At Sorbead India, we understand the importance of maintaining the efficiency and reliability of your compressed air system. That's why we offer high-quality desiccant beads that play a vital role in ensuring optimal performance and preventing moisture-related issues. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the world of desiccant beads, exploring their significance, functionality, and benefits. Whether you're a seasoned professional or new to the field, this article will provide you with valuable insights to help you make informed decisions about desiccant beads and enhance the longevity of your compressed air system.

Understanding the Need for Desiccant Beads

Desiccant beads are indispensable components in any compressed air system that requires dry air to operate efficiently. These beads serve as moisture-absorbing agents, removing water vapor from the compressed air and reducing the risk of corrosion, equipment damage, and productivity loss. By effectively controlling the moisture levels, desiccant beads contribute to improved air quality, increased operational efficiency, and extended equipment lifespan. 

How Desiccant Beads Work

Desiccant bead’s function based on the principles of adsorption, a process that involves the adhesion of water molecules to the surface of the desiccant material. The most commonly used desiccants include activated alumina, silica gel, and molecular sieves. These desiccant materials have a high affinity for water, attracting and trapping moisture within their porous structure.

When compressed air passes through the desiccant bed, the moisture present in the air gets adsorbed by the desiccant beads. This results in significantly lower dew points and ensures the delivery of dry, moisture-free air downstream. It is crucial to monitor and maintain the desiccant beads' capacity, as they gradually become saturated over time and require regeneration or replacement to sustain optimal performance.

Advantages of Desiccant Beads

1. Moisture Control and Corrosion Prevention

Desiccant beads play a pivotal role in moisture control within compressed air systems. By effectively removing water vapor, they help prevent corrosion in critical components such as pipes, valves, and pneumatic tools. This corrosion resistance not only enhances the durability of the system but also minimizes the risk of costly repairs and downtime.

2. Enhanced Productivity and Efficiency

Moisture in compressed air can negatively impact the performance and efficiency of air-powered equipment. It can lead to blockages, malfunctions, and decreased operational productivity. Desiccant beads ensure that the air delivered to your equipment remains dry and free from moisture-related issues, allowing them to operate optimally and maintain peak performance.

3. Improved Air Quality

Moisture-laden compressed air can introduce contaminants and impurities into your system, compromising the quality of the air produced. Desiccant beads help eliminate these impurities, resulting in cleaner, high-quality air. This is particularly important in applications where air quality is critical, such as pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and electronics industries.

4. Extended Equipment Lifespan

By effectively managing moisture levels, desiccant beads contribute to the longevity of your compressed air system and its components. The reduced risk of corrosion and damage to sensitive equipment ensures a longer lifespan, minimizing the need for frequent replacements and repairs. This translates to significant cost savings and improved overall system reliability.

Choosing the Right Desiccant Beads

Selecting the appropriate desiccant beads for your compressed air system is crucial to ensure optimal performance and longevity. Consider the following factors when making your decision:

1. Application Requirements

Evaluate the specific requirements of your application, including the desired dew point, airflow rate, and operating conditions. This information will help determine the type and quantity of desiccant beads needed to achieve the desired moisture control.

2. Desiccant Material

Different desiccant materials offer varying adsorption capacities and properties. Activated alumina, silica gel, and molecular sieves are commonly used desiccants, each with its unique characteristics. Consult with our experts to identify the most suitable desiccant material for your application.

3. Regeneration Method

Desiccant beads become saturated with moisture over time and require regeneration or replacement. Consider the regeneration method that best aligns with your operational requirements and budget. Regeneration options include heatless regeneration, pressure swing adsorption, and externally heated regeneration.

Conclusion

Desiccant beads are essential components that ensure the optimal performance and reliability of your compressed air system. By effectively controlling moisture levels, these beads prevent corrosion, improve air quality, and extend equipment lifespan. When selecting desiccant beads, consider factors such as application requirements, desiccant material, and regeneration method. At Sorbead India, we offer top-quality desiccant beads and expert guidance to help you maximize the efficiency and longevity of your compressed air system. Contact us today to learn more about our comprehensive range of desiccant solutions!

Drinking clean and fresh water is the most important thing for us because our body needs 70% of water. As per a few researches, globally over 200 million people consume fluorinated water and with this 70 million people suffer from harmful diseases. This creates opportunities for solution providers like the adsorbent and desiccant manufacturers. These solutions effectively work for providing fluoride-free drinking water. Adsorbents and desiccants like the activated alumina balls are the perfect choices for removing fluoride from drinking water.

Activated Alumina Balls for fluoride removal

Activated alumina balls are highly effective water filtration media that has been used for many years to remove impurities from water. It is a porous, granular material that is made from aluminium hydroxide. The desiccant has a large surface area and a high capacity for adsorbing a wide range of contaminants, making it an ideal choice for water treatment applications.

One of the primary benefits of activated alumina is its ability to remove fluoride from water. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that is added to many municipal water supplies to help prevent tooth decay. While fluoride can be beneficial in small doses, excessive exposure can lead to health problems such as dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis, and other issues. The desiccant is able to remove fluoride from water to levels well below the recommended limits set by the World Health Organization.

In addition, activated alumina remove fluoride from water and also remove a wide range of other contaminants from water. These include heavy metals such as lead, copper, and mercury, as well as organic compounds such as pesticides and herbicides. They are also effective at removing chlorine and other disinfectants that are often added to municipal water supplies.

The desiccant is a relatively low-cost water filtration media that is easy to use and maintain. It can be used in a variety of water treatment applications, including point-of-use filters, whole-house filtration systems, and industrial water treatment plants. Activated alumina filters are also available in a range of sizes and configurations, making them suitable for a wide range of applications.

Our activated alumina balls like the Alsorb-F grade are the popular media for water filtration. The particular grade effectively removes fluoride from water and the de-fluorinated water is passed on for further consumption. Alsorb-F is an aluminium oxide that is highly porous and exhibits high surface area. The desiccant contains cation lattice discontinuities giving rise to localized areas of positive charge; this makes alumina attract various anionic species.

Features of Activated Alumina Balls

• Higher Surface Area
• High Resistant Ability to Thermal Shock
• Never Shrink or Swell
• High Mechanical Strength
• Effective at High Temperature
• Regenerated and Reused

Overall, activated alumina is an effective and affordable water filtration media that is well-suited for a wide range of applications. Whether you are looking to remove fluoride, arsenic, heavy metals, or other contaminants from your water, activated alumina is an excellent choice that can help to ensure the safety and quality of your drinking water.

Activated alumina balls for oil purification are an effective way to remove water and contaminants from the oil. The desiccants are highly porous and absorbent, making them ideal for oil purification.

The porous and absorbent nature of the activated alumina balls makes them ideal for oil purification. The porosity of the balls allows oil to pass through and be filtered. As the oil passes through the balls, the water molecules and contaminants are absorbed, leaving behind clean oil. The absorbency of the balls ensures that moisture and contaminants are not released back into the oil.

When using activated alumina balls for oil purification, it is important to ensure that the desiccant is of the highest quality, because poor quality may not be as effective in removing moisture and may even release contaminants back into the oil. Therefore, it is important to choose a suitable desiccant-activated alumina for oil purification.

Oil should be filtered with the activated alumina balls in a way that ensures that the oil flows through them in a continuous flow. This will ensure that all the contaminants and moisture are absorbed by the desiccant.

It is also important to ensure that the flow rate of the oil is not too high. Too high a flow rate will cause the balls to be pushed out of the filter and reduce their effectiveness. The ideal flow rate should be such that the oil passes through the balls at a slow and steady pace.

Thus, once the purification process is complete, the activated alumina balls should be replaced. This is to ensure that the balls remain effective and to prevent any contaminants from being released back into the oil. The balls should also be inspected regularly for any signs of damage or wear.

In conclusion, activated alumina has been used for the reconditioning of oils used in the turbine, transformer, and circuit breaker. Being resistant to shocks and abrasion, the desiccant is known to be highly effective for oil purification. Oils change their characteristics with time. Acid is one of the by-products that oils generate as they deteriorate/oxidize after being in contact with moisture, air, heat, gases, etc. This if left unchecked can raise the total acid numbers causing serious damage to the mechanical parts.

To avoid this, activated alumina balls are for oil purification or for the removal of acids from oil.

For a direct enquiry click here

Activated alumina balls are vital for drying, purifying, and isolation the air, gases, and water. The balls are actively used for controlling humidity, mildew, oxidation, rust, and corrosion from air, gas, and oil. It is also used for drying air & gas, water treatment for fluoride removal, and purification of basic and herbal drugs. 

The activated alumina balls are a highly porous form of aluminium oxide. However, the desiccant is highly appreciated for its high adsorption capacity. These balls can also be utilized for applications like dehydration, separation, and purification of oil and gases.

14 Ways to increase productivity with Activated Alumina Balls:

Drying, filtration, purification, and removal of water, moisture, and impurities from the industrial air, gases, and oil to increase productivity.The balls work as a filtering agent to purify the water. 

1. Purification of industrial oil: 

The transformers, the machinery, and the other equipment used in the industries sometimes get affected by moisture or water, which can affect production. To maintain productivity and smooth functioning of the machinery, industries look towards activated alumina balls. 

The oil is used for the smooth functioning of the equipment and machinery. If this oil gets affected through moisture, productivity also gets involved at the same time. The production process decreases due to the moisture content in oil, so the avoid this type of situation, several industries prefer to use the activated alumina balls to increase production and purify the oil for smoother functioning. 

1. Drying industrial air and gas:

As per research, most industrial oil and gas get affected by moisture, and the humidity effects can be explosive. Moisture can affect if the gas and air are not streamed out properly or not stored properly. Keeping the air and gas stream clean and free from water and moisture is also important. Otherwise, there can be major damages faced by the industries. 

For keeping the streams clean and dry, an activated alumina balls bed is attached to the streams. When the air or gas passes through the bed, the alumina balls extract the excess water or moisture from the product and give the dried gas and air for usage. 

1. Water treatment to remove fluoride:

We know that when the wastewater is streamed from the industries to fresh water, it can badly affect the other water bodies in rivers, oceans, and seas. Water treatment is very important before streaming it out to clean water; we need activated alumina balls. The alumina balls help in removing the arsenic content.

When the air and gases or oils are dehydrated or purified, excess water is extracted from them. This water is then purified before being filtered out in the ocean or river so that the clean water and its water bodies aren’t affected. The filtration and purification process uses the activated alumina balls while the gases and air are dried. The moisture from the air and gas is full of impurities, which can harm the water and the water consumers. Thus, activated alumina balls are now widely used to stream clean and purified water to the ocean and rivers.

1. PSA & VPSA:

The Pressure swing and the vacuum pressure swing adsorption are oxygen production equipment. Both opt activated alumina balls to dry out the excess water from oxygen-generating plants. As we know that alumina balls have the highest capacity to adsorb water. Both types of equipment use high pressure to separate water and oxygen and purify oxygen better. These also use activated alumina balls. The balls make sure to dry out the excess water completely so that oxygen production never slows. 

1. Drying of Organic Liquids:

It has been studied that a liquid mixture comprises organic liquids that can be dried by passing adsorbents and desiccants in it. Organic liquids such as steam cracked gas, aromatic solvents, chloroform hydrocarbons, and LPG can be dehydrated using alumina balls.

1. Sulphur Recovery plants:

When hydrogen sulphide is transformed into elemental sulphur is acknowledged as sulphur recovery. It has been studied that hydrogen sulphide is obtained when crude oils contain an excessive quantity of sulphides. 

It has also been said that hydrogen sulphide in natural gasoline can cause corrosion to the pipelines through which the natural gases are transported. The presence of sulphide can also lead to air pollution, so to control and stop these damages to the environment and industries, the alumina balls take effective action against solving these damage issues. 

1. Filter Dryer HVAC Systems:

The HVAC system is accelerated as heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The system used for grant cooling and provide heat to the residential structures or to the industrial setups. As an important fact of this system is that it takes in air from outside to the grant indoor air quality.

It is also important that the quality of the indoor air should be better than the outside air. For this the activated alumina balls give better results by purifying the outside air and removing all the impurities and moisture from it.

1. Peroxide Removal from Organic Solvent Tetrahydrofuran:

Peroxides are formed when the chemical compounds are stored in dark rooms and afterward shown to light, moisture, or heat. This results in a slow oxidation process. 

When peroxide formation occurs in tetrahydrofuran (THF), there are possibilities of an explosion emerging under mechanical shock and thermal shock. Researchers say that when THF is exposed to air or moisture, it can cause peroxide formation. Therefore, activated alumina balls are widely preferred and work as a defender against peroxide to prevent any explosion or formation of peroxide.

1. Activated Alumina Balls for Thermosyphon Filters: 

The thermosyphon filters help to soak up moisture from the transformer’s oil. The alumina balls are used for the same, removing moisture from oil. The desiccant is famous for removing moisture and impurities from industry liquids and gases. Activated alumina can also be used in energy transformers, air dryers, dehumidifiers, and others. 

1.  Polyester filament yarn dehumidification system:

In polyester manufacturing industries, dehumidification devices consist of a heater, filter, etc., for moisture adsorption. This industry relies on dry air for manufacturing and processing polyester yarns. As we know, that air is not completely dry, and the presence of moisture in the air can ruin the polyester yarns. The moisture can even damage the tools, systems, and other equipment. Therefore, the solution to stop the effect of moisture and further damage to machinery is to apply the activated alumina balls. The desiccant will help remove moisture and keep the air dry for a long time. 

1.  Cryogenic air separation plants:

The devices used to separate the diverse air additives are called cryogenic air separation structures. The air is divided into factors like nitrogen, oxygen, and inert gases. The cryogenic separation process also uses activated alumina balls for better adsorption and separation of oxygen and nitrogen in diverse industries. 

1.  Instrumental Air Drying:

As we talk about air drying, several adsorbents and desiccants come to mind. But here, we are focusing on the activated alumina balls, which maintain a moisture-free environment and avoid other major damages. The same goes for instrumental air-drying systems. We know that compressed consists of some moisture than normal air, and the instrument air dryers use a dehumidifier for this compressed air. Now the moisture from the compressed air is important to remove; otherwise, serious damage can be caused to the instruments. 

1.  Hydraulic oil purification for longer machine life:

Purifying oil with alumina balls increases the shelf-life and enhances the function of the machinery. This is important because the oils for the machinery are sensitive to moisture. Moisture can be very dangerous for oil. The desiccants, like activated alumina balls, completely purify the hydraulic oil and enhance the machinery’s life for a long time.

1.  Air & gas dehydration- steam cracking systems:

Air and gas drying is very important in most industries because the drying process removes all the excess moisture from them. Moisture can affect production, so it should be removed from air and gas. For dehydration, industries mostly prefer alumina balls because they are porous and have a high capacity for adsorbing moisture. 

The formation of hydrocarbon hydrates can cause deadly problems in these plants. To ensure that these problems are avoided to the maximum, dehydration or drying of cracked gas is done. This dehydration is done at a dewpoint equal to or -35 F.Contact US

The purpose of the desiccant is to adsorb the water molecules from the environment and consequently dry the air. That is why it is a superb defense against moisture. But on the other hand, moisture can corrode many metal things and damage many non-metal things. Hence, getting rid of the moisture is crucial to keep your things functioning smoothly.

Activated alumina is also a type of desiccant. It is very effective because it traps moisture in the air and keeps the surroundings dry.

What is Activated Alumina?

Activated alumina are desiccants that have high permeability. It has been squashed at multiple levels, so despite its small size, it has excellent adsorption capacity. They are multi-purpose because of their versatile nature. They can be used with dry gasses. The dry gasses are often required to transfer the vapor gasses safely. Several industrial sectors are used as a drying agent to clean and dry that place successfully.

How Does an Air Dryer Work?

The desiccant dryer has desiccant contained in single or more vessels. The internal parts of the dryer are used to keep the desiccant in a particular position. The internal parts consist of screens, trays, and sheets, which permit air circulation through the vessel without interrupting the position of the desiccant. The air enters the vessel from the bottom and exits from the top surface. The desiccant reaches its full capacity as air enters and leaves. After some time, this degrades the moisture-adsorbing nature of the desiccant. At this point, a regeneration process is carried out to restore its efficiency.

How Does Activated Alumina Work in an Air Dryer?

The air dryer has an adsorbent, which is present in the main section. It is exposed to several things simultaneously, such as recurrent pressure, water vapors, and heat. This all can lead to machine failure or somewhat mild destruction. In addition, it gradually degrades the efficiency of the adsorbent.

When activated alumina is switched in the place of silica gel as the main adsorbent, The efficiency of the machine increases. It is because activated alumina possesses high strength and has better capability to resist water. In addition, the activated alumina has special compressed air moisture stability of around -40 °C. It also runs long and can serve for two to three years.

The compressed air from the rear of the compressor has a kind of high moisturized compressed air. Because the dryer has a low quantity of condensate, it does not have much power. If a small amount of condensed water pierces the adsorption tower for any reason, the adsorption rate of the dryer will drop. So, it is very important to check the position of the gas-water divider and filter in the right place. Any inappropriate situation can disturb the dew point and increase its value. If the situation worsens and the adsorbent breaks down, there will be a complete powder discharge from the muffler. It can also block the dirt filter on the rear side. In that case, replacement is a must.

The adsorbent of the dryer has the property of a non-thermal conductor. It means that the heat cannot be spread in a series by the microporous water, while in the adsorption tower, there is already a significant amount of condensed water. When there is powerful heat, the water naturally evaporates into its gas form. This process causes the adsorbent to expand. For this reason, only the water-gas separating machine should be placed in front of the adsorption of the dryer.

The activated alumina has a strong, resilient ability against the alkaline components. The alkaline components are Ammonia, Amines, and other organics, which have a high basicity level. It is also a strong opponent against moisture or water molecules. It is also a convenient choice for heat-restored dryers because of its versatile quality. It is also a pocket-friendly transaction.

Contrarily, the activated alumina has its disadvantages too. It is vulnerable to long-chain hydrocarbons; they are heavy and strong. For example, the activated alumina is defenseless against air compressor oil vapors. These hydrocarbons accumulate on the surface of the alumina and block its porosity method. This lowers the water or moisture adsorption capability of activated alumina.

You have to take some precautions and see that Activated alumina is the best choice to go with. Sorbead is the leading company as a qualified manufacturer and supplier of activated alumina worldwide. We are recognized because of our customer satisfaction and meeting the market standard. Contact us now!

Air drying is the process of removing water content or moisture from the air to keep it humid-free. Air surrounding or trapped within pieces of equipment or products have to be maintained moisture-free to prevent any damages. There are many different ways to keep air dry from moisture. Desiccants are widely used for the air-drying process. A variety of drying desiccants are available. Among them, we will discuss activated alumina, which is the best air drying desiccant.

What is activated alumina?

Activated alumina is a derivative of aluminium oxide, which is produced by processing aluminium oxide at an elevated temperature. The basic characteristics of activated alumina are that it is a porous solid form of aluminium oxide which is odorless, non-toxic, tasteless, and insoluble in water. These properties make it a perfect desiccant for air drying and water purification.

Benefits of activated alumina balls

Activated alumina balls are widely used as an air drying agent. These balls hold many characteristics which will prove that activated alumina is the best air drying desiccant. Let's view them in detail.

• Activated alumina has a higher surface area than many other desiccants. This will enable the activated desiccant to adsorb maximum water content from the surrounding air.
• One more major attraction of activated alumina balls is that they have a higher adsorption rate. So maximum and fast adsorption is guaranteed when these are in use. Another advantage is that the property of high adsorption can be restored completely with proper regeneration, which is a quite easy and simple process.
• Its high resistant ability to thermal shock and high mechanical strength or crush strength enables it to endure the high-pressure situations in various industrial applications. This also makes it a perfect pre-bed material for other desiccants.
• The activated desiccant holds a uniform bead size. Because of this feature,  complete utilization of the entire bed column is ensured even at low-pressure drop points.
• This desiccant has a higher affinity towards water than molecular sieves. So this can be used when adsorption of most moisture is mandatory.
• Few other highlights of activated alumina balls are they never shrink or swell, remain effective even at high pressure, can be regenerated and reused, and have a long service life.

These features ensure the choice of activated alumina for air drying as the best.