Piston vs Screw Compressor: Factors to consider
April 5, 2024
September 22, 2022
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The current market trend in compressed air treatment is moving away from traditional installations (otherwise limited to installing a fabricated pre and a post-filter with a refrigeration dryer). Now users becoming more aware of application needs and ISO purity classes governing the user applications whether within the compressor room or outside of the compressor room (i.e. close to point of use or user application point).
Drying Technologies
The two predominant drying technologies include moisture separation using refrigeration technology (for low dew point needs +3 to +10 deg C PDP) and pressure swing adsorption technology using a desiccant bed ( for even lower dew point ranging from -20 deg C PDP to -70 deg C PDP). The choice of technology depends on user requirements and application criticality.
| Parameters | Refrigeration Drying |
Desiccant Drying |
Achievable pressure Dew point |
+3 to +10 deg C pdp |
-20 to -70 deg C pdp |
Moisture presence |
Comparatively higher |
Relatively lower |
System complexity |
Low |
Medium/ High |
Service intensity |
Very Low |
Low |
Water vapour sensitivity |
No liquid water |
No liquid water |
Oil sensitivity |
Not a factor |
Not allowed (< 0,01mg/m³) |
Noise level |
Very low |
High (blow-off peaks) |
Weight |
Low |
Medium (bulky construction) |
Pressure drop |
Low |
Relatively high(needs pre filtration) |
Losses |
Low |
Medium/ High (purge & zero purge systems) |
Power consumption |
Low |
Low/ Medium |
Impact of changing Temp/ Press |
High |
Low/ Medium |
Likewise filtration otherwise believed to work on principle of sieving (wherein the filter media acts as a sieve) is now understood well and correct synergies for different particle needs have been identified by the market with the re-defining of contaminants of different sizes and their removal using below 3 principles which act simultaneously and provide for quality filtered air.
- Impaction: big particles
- Interception: mid-size particles
- Diffusion: small particles
Types of contaminants and recommended technology
| S.no. | Contaminants |
Technology |
| 1 | Dry Dust |
Dry Dust Filter |
| 2 | Wet Dust |
Coalescing Filter |
| 3 | Liquid |
Water Separator/ Aftercooler |
| 4 | Vapour (Humidity) |
Dryers (Refrigerant, Desiccant or Membrane |
| 5 | Liquid (Aerosol) |
Coalescing Filter |
| 6 | Vapour (Hydrocarbon) |
Oil Vapour Filter / Activated Carbon Tower |
The opportunity these new advancements present to customers include:
- Reducing quality costs
- Reduced rework
- No equipment damage
- No contamination of end product
- No System contamination
- Low Maintenance costs
- No Product Spoilage
- High Reliability
- Improved Energy efficiency
- High production efficiency
- High Profitability
Watch this video to know more about filtration principles
What are the benefits of the treated compressed air ?
The benefits of the treated (dried and filtered) compressed air are two folds:
- No water vapor thus ensuring prevention from corrosion of downstream equipment and thus no pipe rust & scaling
- No dust particles & oil vapors/droplets preventing contamination and thus, no equipment/ product spoilage.
These inherent benefits of air treatment products make it useful for many industrial applications.
Click here to read more on air treatment and ask for air expert for the best solution for your industry.
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