Air dryers are used to remove moisture from compressed air that can cause issues with the manufacturing processes, pneumatic equipment and in the compressed air network itself. Moisture is a natural byproduct of the compression process. Air coming into the compressor contains water vapor (humidity). As air is compressed, the pressure squeezes the water out of the air, turning it back into a liquid. Warmer air holds more water vapor than cooler air, so the hot air coming out of the compressor still holds some water vapor. As the pressurized air cools down, more of this vapor falls out of the air as condensation. Without an air dryer, you’ll end up with liquid water throughout your distribution system and even in the compressed air stream at the end point.
Water in your condensed air causes a number of problems, both for your compressed air system itself and for the processes and applications using the air. These problems may include:
Corrosion in compressed air pipes or system components
Damage to pneumatic tools
Problems with finished materials, such as rusting, spoilage or poor finish quality.
Clean, dry compressed air is important for most applications. That’s why you need an air dryer. The air dryer removes most of the moisture that is left in compressed air after it leaves the compressor. An air dryer is an important component of a complete industrial compressed air system.