Advantageous ten-minute cycle
Kaeser small desiccant dryers operate in ten-minute cycles to achieve pressure dew points down to -40 °C. This dramatically reduces the number of switching sequences between the chambers and resulting material wear on the valves and desiccant.
Moreover, long cycle times additionally reduce the amount of compressed air required to restore pressure following the desiccant regeneration phase. For example, whereas 7.6 percent of the compressed air must be diverted for a two-minute cycle, this proportion falls to just 1.3 percent with the ten-minute cycle of the small DC units. This reduction saves energy and extends desiccant service life.
Advantageous intermittent operation
On/off control saves energy when there is frequent interruption of duty cycles. This employs “reverse regeneration” (where the regeneration cycle always uses up air from the downstream air receiver), which is particularly reliable as a completely regenerated desiccant chamber is always available each time the drying cycle restarts. This technique eliminates the possibility of extreme pressure dew point values from occurring at the outlet as a result of excessive loading of the desiccant.