Evaluation of compressed air adsorption dryer with

three different heat regeneration modes

Suresh kannan V 
(

professorskv@gmail.com
)
Madanapalle Institute of Technology & Science
Vijayan S 
Coimbatore Institute of Engineering and Technology
Lenin V R 
Anil Neerukonda Institute of Technology & Sciences
Matheswaran M M 
Jansons Institute of Technology
Sowrirajan M 
Coimbatore Institute of Engineering and Technology

Research Article

Keywords: Solid desiccant, heat regeneration, adsorption dryer

Posted Date: September 1st, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2000181/v1

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Page 1/27
Abstract
Compressed air without any traces of moisture is utmost important in several engineering applications.
Heat regeneration-based adsorption dryer is mostly preferred to treat compressed air to ultra-low dew
point. In this work, the essential characteristics of the different types heat regeneration mode adsorption
dryer namely internal heating mode, external heating mode and compressed air heating mode are
experimentally studied. The principal calculation schemes of adsorption dryers are based on the previous
work and the calculations form the basis of a logical comparison between systems. The system
assessment is carried out on common performance range for all modes namely compressed air output of
1000 to 5000 m3/hr, operating pressure of 5 to 10 bar, and feed air temperature of 25 to 45°C. The results
revealed that the characteristic specific energy requirement in terms of electrical energy for internal
heating regeneration, external heating regeneration and compressor air heating regeneration are 0.176
kW/m3/min,0.342 kW/m3/min, and 0 kW/m3/min respectively. In addition to that the characteristic
specific energy requirement in terms of dried regeneration air requirement for internal heating, external
heating and compressor air heating are 0.203 kW/m3/min,0 kW/m3/min, and 0 kW/m3/min respectively.
It is also concluded that the energy and capital cost referred to 35°C feed air temperature and 8 bar abs.
feed air pressure for 3000 m3/hr volume flow rate of product air attracts same amount for all the three
modes of heat regeneration. Thus, a system comparison with reproducible dryer data for the varying
performance ranges can be developed and utilized for practical purposes.

1 Introduction
In recent days, compressed air is widely used in many industrial applications namely agriculture, textile,
chemicals, automobile, construction, electronics and etc. Water vapour in the compressed air results in
rust, orifice blocking, formation of scale in air passages, which leads to higher pumping power, and
energy as well. Moreover, operational problems such as freezing of outdoor air lines and malfunctioning
of processes may occur and usually, moisture is removed through drying process. Mostly, dryness of the
compressed air is expressed in terms of pressure dew point temperature (PDPT) and the desired level is
chosen according to the process requirements. The process air flow rate at the right pressure with a
tolerable level of moisture concerning selected application influences the selection of suitable drying
methods (Sreenivasa et al.2013;Saidur et al.2010;Pesaran et al.1004).

Five techniques mostly used for removing the moisture from compressed air, namely refrigerant drying,
over-compression, membrane drying, absorption drying, and adsorption drying. Among these techniques,
adsorption drying is mostly preferred for achieving high level of dryness i.e -70ºC pressure dew point in
the product air stream (Miller et al.19583;Baharami et al.2006;Prakash et al.2000). In a solid desiccant
packed tower, the thermal conductivity of adsorbent-adsorbate pair greatly influences the heat transfer
during adsorption. And again, thermal conductivity depends mainly on temperature, pressure, adsorbate
concentration, and desiccant’s packing density (Schindler et al.2008). Heat transfer by conduction during
adsorption takes place through contact surface area among the desiccant beads and the packed bed wall

Page 2/27
surface. Heatwaves were generated due to heat of adsorption in axial and radial directions. It severely
influences the profile of the concentration of desiccant bed and thus adsorption capacity reduction
(Kabeel et al.2009;Kadoli et al.2011;Gan et al.2016;Rezaei et al.2012;Weidenfeld et al.2004). In actual
conditions, heat transfer in desiccant beds occurred through solid desiccant particles conduction,
convection in void space, and radiation in desiccant surface (Polesek-Karczewska et al.2003). The
description of heat transfer characteristics of desiccant beds is complex due to its non-homogeneous
nature and in turn give space for different mode of heat transfer. Therefore, effective thermal conductivity
is used to address this challenge for analysis. Heat transfer by radiation is measured by adding the
components of conduction and convection heat transfer linearly. During the adsorption process, the heat
transfer by radiation mode from an individual desiccant particle in a bed is adsorbed by nearby particles
and feed air. But the effective thermal conductivity value depends mostly on the mixing of fluid at later
stages and independent of fluid flow (Yagi et al.1960;Kwapinski et al.2010;Visser et al.2008). Therefore,
model development of packed bed to define effective thermal conductivity is difficult due to non-isotropic
nature of beds.

During adsorption, the data related to variation in temperature was most important in adsorption study. It
can be mostly obtained by energy balance equations of complete system. Energy balance includes the
total value of heat gain by desiccant particles, heat gain by moisture in desiccant bed, and both result in
heat gain by flowing air. Many studies give different energy balance correlations. For instance, Kwapinski
et al. (2010) gives a correlation that describes the energy balance considering the radial and axial thermal
conductivities in adsorption bed. Visser et al. (2008) modeled heat flow and airflow through the saturated
bed with varied porosity desiccant heterogeneity. Under the steady-state and non-steady-state, Fuentes et
al. (1998) used a pseudo model to describe homogeneous beds. The study revealed that the thermal
conductivity varied in radial position. Béttega et al. (2011) calculated thermal conductivity using a
pseudo homogeneous based study. It revealed that thermal conductivity profiles majorly influenced the
behavior of the adsorption system. Another important parameter in the adsorption process was the
prediction of cyclic steady state. Several methods have been formulated to predict the CSS value by
many researchers (Nilchan et al.1998;Ko et al.2000). In one such method called successive substitution
method, repeated simulations were used to determine CSS between the operating limits and is
computationally demanding (Kannan et al.2020;Sureshkannan et al.2022).

The detailed literature review on adsorption dryer for compressed air drying has revealed that the heat
regeneration method is adopted in the applications where high-level dryness is essential. It is also noted
that the complex heat and mass transfer mechanism involved in the removal of moisture from the
desiccants posed hindrance to theoretical analysis. In case of heat regeneration of adsorption dryer
energy consumption plays a significant role in the selection process since it directly influences the
operating cost. It is also noted that no literature compared the energy consumption characteristics and
the cost involved in implementation as well as regeneration. This information helps in selecting the right
mode of regeneration with respect to performance and cost. Therefore, in this work an attempt is taken to
explore the essential characteristics of different heat-based regeneration adsorption dryer and a system

Page 3/27
comparison with reproducible dryer data for the varying performance ranges which may be utilized for
practical purposes.

2 Materials And Methods

The adsorption dryer can be heat regenerated by any of the three modes internal heat, external heat and
compressor heat. In internal heat mode, the regeneration process is carried out using a branched-off flow
of dried compressed air plus internal electrical heating. In external heat mode, the regeneration is carried
out with ambient air, drawn in by blower, heated by external electrical heating. Finally, in compressor heat
mode, the regeneration is carried out using heat generated during compression from the compressor
system.

2.1 Layout design of three modes of heat regeneration-

based adsorption dryer
The saturated desiccant in adsorption dryer can be regenerated by means of heat in any one of three
modes such as regeneration by internal heat, regeneration by external heat, and regeneration by
compressor heat. Figure 1(a) shows the schematic diagram of regeneration by internal heat mode
adsorption dryer. In this dryer, flat sieves (2) and wire mesh (3) at the entry and exit of adsorber vessel are
provided to prevent desiccant from being carried over into the pipe downstream at high velocities of feed
stream. Both the adsorber vessels are mutually connected at entry and the exit. The feed stream is
switched over from adsorption to regeneration are done with by-pass valve with orifice (5). A portion of
the dried air medium is diverted for regeneration purpose. Adsorption process is happening at operating
pressure in online vessel, whereas regeneration at atmospheric pressure is takes place with simultaneous
heating in offline vessel. The regeneration time and pressure build-up time are achieved through the
valves (6) to the exit with muffler (7). The regeneration process is achieved through heat and cold stages.
At the beginning of desorption process, desiccant bed is heated slowly and steadily to reach regeneration
temperature. Due to this, the moisture in the saturated desiccant is expelled. At the right temperature,
exhaust valve (6) is opened and the portion of dried air flows towards atmosphere through desiccant bed
with the assistance of gravity. After the completion of regeneration, the adsorber vessel is brought to
identical pressure before vessel switching. Now the exhaust valve is closed to ease pressure build-up in
the vessel. After pressure equalisation, the vessel is switched over from regeneration to adsorption.

Figure 1(b) shows the schematic diagram of regeneration by external heat mode adsorption dryer. This
type of dryer uses external heater and blowing system in which small amount of already dried air is
required for purging. The regeneration air is taken from atmosphere and is heated by external heater
arrangement. Two 4/2-way valves (1) are used and the external heater (9), installed on the exit, is linked
via blower, mounted in line with the heater (8). During regeneration, the exhaust valve (6) is opened and
closed during pressure build-up time after regeneration. The blower assisted regeneration process
requires a minimum quantity of dried air for purging operation. After the completion of regeneration, the
hot blower air, humidified by the removed moisture, and exits the adsorber vessel via valve (1) and valve
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(6). At the completion of heating stage as observed by thermostat (TS), the cooling stage begins. Now the
heater is switched off and fresh cold air is supplied through the same path. The desiccant bed and
adsorber vessel are cooled down and the cooling phase is terminated after the set period. Now the valve
(6) closes and the pressure build-up phase follows. Then switching over of vessel is taking place. The
exhaust valve (5) is opened and the regenerated adsorber vessel is depressurised to atmospheric
pressure via a muffler (4) fitted at the exit.

Figure 1(c) shows the schematic diagram of regeneration by compressor heat mode adsorption dryer.
This type of dryer uses closed loop design and is provided with two adsorber vessel for continuous
operation. Two independent 4/2-way valves (1 and 4) are provided, for switching over from adsorption
process to regeneration process. In addition, two 3/2-way valves (5 and 6) are provided into the piping.
The water-cooled heat exchanger (7) and cyclone separator (8) is also provided in this system. With an
adsorption dryer of closed loop design, the regeneration air is relatively humid as compared with that in
other modes of regeneration systems. For this reason, closed loop systems always require a higher
regeneration temperature in order to reach a specified pressure dew point, than is necessary with other
designs of dryer.

2.2 Experimental design for system evaluation

The system evaluation is carried out by describing the essential characteristic of different types of
adsorption dryer. Using fundamental parameters, objective evaluation is arrived. The principal calculation
schemes of adsorption dryers were established in the previous work carried out by the authors (Kannan et
al.2017;Venkatachalam et al.2019;Sureshkannan et al.2021). Such calculations form the basis of a
logical comparison between systems. The system assessment is carried out with the significant process
variables such as the operating pressure from 5 to 10 bar, feed air temperature from 25°C to 45°C, and the
pressure dew point of product air as -40°C. The characteristic compressed air cost parameter to be
established for adsorption dryers is based on Rs.1000 per 1000 m3.

2.2.1 Regeneration energy establishment

For conducting regeneration experiments, heat energy using an electric heater is used. The available
energy is expected to heat raise the bed to regeneration temperature (TRE). During desorption, the
adsorber temperature level is moved from entry to exit. The change in temperature at the outlet of bed
signals temperature migration completion and trigger heating phase switch-off. The corresponding
temperature is called as switching off temperature (TRO).

At a maximum water vapour loading in the desiccant bed, the ratio between QH2O and QS to be greater
than 0.7 has to be taken account while calculating the amount of regeneration air at suitable
temperature. Due to low desiccant load (QH2O / QS > 0.7), a substantial part of heat duty is used to heat
the desiccant bed and machinery.

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The regeneration air requirement is calculated through LMTD-Desorption and LMTD-Cooling. The LMTD-
Desorption is calculated using regeneration temperature (TRE), switching off temperature (TRO), and
desiccant bed temperature (TBC) using Eq. (1).

T RO − T BC
LMTD Desorption = T RO − T BC
ln T
RE − T RO

1
The LMTD Cooling is calculated using regeneration temperature (TRE), the entry temperature (TO), and the
outlet temperature of cooling air (TCO) using Eq. (2). The exit temperature TCO of the cooling air is not to
exceed 70 to 80°C so that the product dry air moisture content is low.

T RE − T CO
LMTD Cooling = T RE − T O
ln T
CO − T O

2
During the cooling phase, the desiccant bed and adsorber vessel are brought to low temperature.

The energy requirement to heat desiccant material is calculated with the specific heat value using the
Eq. (3).

Qdr=mdr×Cdr× (TRE-TO)  (3)
The heat of adsorption QH depends on load factor Kl and is multiplied by the moisture load hc using
Eq. (4).

QH2O=hc× QH  (4)
The amount of heat required for adsorber vessel heating to the required regeneration temperature can be
calculated using Eq. (5).

Qvessel=mvessel×Cvessel  × ΔTlog  (5)

The total energy is arrived by adding the heat duty for desiccant Qdr, moisture loading QH2O and adsorber
vessel Qst using Eq. (6).

Qs=Qdr+ QH2O+ Qvessel  (6)

The energy required due to radiation Qrad of an adsorber tower depends on its position. The higher the
LMTD-Desorption, the larger the loss of heat through radiation. For rough estimates, Qrad is taken as 4 to
8% of the total calculated energy QS using Eq. (7).

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 q ra
Q ra = Q ×
s 100

7
The obtained Qra value is based on theoretical calculation using Eq. (8). General tolerance of 2 to 5% is to
be accounted to meet out safety factor.

Qtot=Qs+Qra+ (2–5%) Qr  (8)

The required energy for cooling is comparatively lower than for regeneration. The desiccant bed and
adsorber vessel need to be cooled.

QC= [(mvessel×Cvessel) + (mdesiccant×Cdesiccant)] ΔTlog cooling  (9)

To calculate volume flow rate of regeneration air Vregen air, taking heat allowance into account, the heat
content qdr of the desiccant has to be accounted. First, the Eq. (10) calculates the desorption air quantity
for the very first part of the moisture load, and then, excluding water vapour load. The effective values for
heat quantity qdr=130 kJ/m3 and the heat capacity cdr=0.31 kcal/m3°K.

Q H2O Q ges − Q H2O

V regenair = +
q dr c dr × ΔT Rlog

10
To determine volume flow rate of cooling air Vcooling air,the energy requirement Qcooling air is taken into
account and is calculated using Eq. (11).

Qk
V coolingair =
c dr × ΔT klog

11
Considering the volume flow of regeneration air Vrh, regeneration time tr, and amount of cooling air Vrc,
the total volume of air Vt for the unit time is calculated using Eq. (12).

V rh
Vt =
tr

12
Regeneration time th is calculated based on total air volume, and the amount of regeneration air Vrh is
calculated using Eq. (13).

V rc
th =
Vt

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13
Cooling time tc is calculated based on total air volume and volume flow rate of cooling air Vrc using
Eq. 14).

V rc
tc =
Vt

14
The total energy requirement Qtot is calculated and can be used to calculate heating power Pe,
considering heating system efficiency using Eq. (15).

Q tot
Pe =
860 × nH

15
The heater energy is calculated using heating power and heating time th using Eq. (16).

Pe
Ph =
th

16
The mean power requirement during heating phase for heater Phm and the blower power is calculated
using the Eq. (17) and Eq. (18) respectively.

th
P hm = P e ×
tc

17

Vb × Dp
Pb =
102 × n

18
The mean power requirement for blower P bm and mean total power requirement Pm considering cooling
period during regeneration can be calculated using the Eq. (19) and Eq. (20).

P bm = P g
( )
th + tc
tB

19

P m = P hm + P bm

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20

2.2.2 Economic Analysis of heat regeneration-based

adsorption dryer
From the known calculation systems of the heat regeneration mode adsorption dryer was known, and it
forms the basis for evaluation. The developed regression equation forms the basis to conduct an
objective study of the dryer.

A significant error is to be included in a comparison of other modes of dryers later unless the correctly
specified actual and different cost of energy. Only using the right parameters of compressed air can
achieve an objective evaluation of different adsorption dryers. This depends on assigning uniform energy
costs to the energy requirements for all types of regeneration.

To calculate the total pressure drop, the pressure drop occurs in adsorption, regeneration, and cooling
steps are considered.

Δp Total = ΣΔp n

21
If added, the sum of individual component pressure losses offers pressure loss of adsorption dryer setup,
so that the product air operating pressure is calculated by,

p o = p i − Δp Total

22
This theoretical pressure drop is compared with a loss in compressor performance. The total
performance of the compressor is assigned the requirement of power through pressure drop. This also
allows determining the pressure loss as an objective value element of similar electrical performance.

Δp i =
( )
1−
po 2
pi 2
× pc

23
Performance of compressor has arrived through the energy required value based on compressor type is
multiplied by the regeneration volume flow rate, purge air quantity, and cooling air quantity to arrive
performance product by Eq. (24).

p c = V × E fl

24
The average performance requirement value is arrived by taking adsorption time and regeneration time
and is calculated using the Eq. (25), (26), and (27).
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For the purging air by,

tsp
p rs = V fl × E fl ×
tB

25
The average performance requirement value is calculated by,

pΔp l = Δp l × p v

26
For each adsorption dryer, the total of average performance is calculated using the Eq. (33).

p vtotal = Σp vn

27
The cost of energy per unit time is calculated using the input energy cost data and average performance
data using the Eq. (28).

K Eh = K E × P vges

28
To form a common uniform parameter, the cost of energy costs per 1000 m3 is calculated using Eq. (29).

1000
C o , 1000 = C oh ×
Ve

29
For a dryer comparison taking investment into account, capital costs is to be included and are calculated
using the Eq. (30).

z × (1 + z) n
C= ×A
(1 + z) n − 1

30
The operational cost of running time and differential flows at the exit of dryers is calculated by converting
the capital service dispersed over the yearly service life and expressed in capital amortization per hour.

tBh
Ch = C ×
tBa

31

2.2.3 System evaluation data

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Table 1 shows the system evaluation data pertaining to regeneration air requirement of -40°C pressure
dew point for three modes of heat regeneration

Page 11/27
 Table 1
System evaluation data of heat regeneration-based adsorption dryer [26–31]
S. Description Unit Values

No Internal heat External Compressor

regeneration heat heat
regeneration regeneration

A Regeneration air requirement

1 Adsorption period cycle 1 1 1

2 Regeneration period cycle 0.96 0.82 0.40

3 Heating time cycle 0.65 0.54 0.27

4 Cooling time cycle 0.31 0.11 0.13

5 Flushing time cycle - 0.18 -

6 Holding period cycle - 0.18 0.60

7 Pressure build up time cycle 0.04 0.04 -

8 Regeneration air requirement- % - 5 -

Purging time

9 Purge air requirement-Heating % 5 - -

time

10 Purge air requirement-Cooling % 4 - -

time

11 Regeneration airpower kW/m3/min 0.697 - -

requirement

B Performance of dryer

1 Heating power requirement kW/m3/min 0.27 0.61 -

2 Blower power requirement kW/m3/min - 0.13 -

3 Product air at the outlet,Va (%) % 95 98.5 100

4 Product air loss,Va, loss (%) % 5 1.5 -

5 Operating pressure,pa (bar) bar 7.74 7.74 7.43

6 Operating pressure, pa loss (%) % 7.3 7.3 15.6

7 Characteristic specific energy kW/m3/min 0.176 0.342 -

consumption-Electrical energy

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 S. Description Unit Values
No Internal heat External Compressor
regeneration heat heat
regeneration regeneration

8 Characteristic specific energy kW/m3/min 0.203 - -

consumption-Regeneration air

9 Characteristic specific energy kW/m3/min - 0.053 -

consumption-Flush air

3 Results And Discussion

Regeneration characteristics in all the three modes are influenced by desorption temperature, switch-off
temperature, logarithmic temperature difference-desorption, logarithmic temperature difference-cooling.
From these optimum values, the cost for regeneration energy requirement is arrived. The system
assessment is carried out on common performance range for all modes namely compressed air output of
1000 to 5000 m3/hr, operating pressure of 5 to 10 bar, and feed air temperature of 25 to 45°C.

3.1 Effect of desorption and switching off temperature

Variation of pressure dew point temperature of product air with respect to desorption temperature and
switching off temperature of TSA system is shown in Fig. 2. The temperature of desorption and pressure
dew point differ indirectly. The pair value of desorption temperature and switching off temperature of
regeneration air are 180°C and 130°C respectively for − 40°C pressure dew point temperature of product
air. In the course of desorption, the temperature level within the adsorber is continuously moved along the
latter’s length towards its outlet. The speed levels of the movements of the temperature frontier at
different levels of regeneration temperature, as seen in Fig. 2, are almost the same. This can be explained
that movement speed of the heat frontier depends primarily on the heat capacity ratio of gas phase to
solid phase.

A temperature change at the adsorber outlet signals completion of temperature migration and is used to
trigger the switching off of the heating phase. Deviation of the appropriate pair value of temperature
exerts considerable influence on the pressure dew point.
3.2 Effect of LMTD-Desorption and LMTD-Cooling
The desorption and cooling logarithmic temperature variations with respect to the pressure dew point
temperature are shown in Fig. 3. The LMTD-Desorption is calculated using corresponding equations for
switching off temperature, desiccant bed temperature, and desorption temperature. LMTD-Cooling is
achieved from corresponding equations for desorption temperature, inlet temperature, and cooling air
outlet temperature. The pair value of LMTD-Desorption 55°C, 68°C,84°C,100°C, 115°C, 130°C, and 145°C
results in product air dew point temperature of -10°C, -20°C, -30°C, -40°C, -50°C, -60°C and − 70°C
respectively. The said value results in cooling air outlet temperature not exceeding 70–80°C so that the
Page 13/27
humidity on the adsorber bed's dry side is kept as low as possible. During the cooling phase, the
desiccant material and the adsorber tower are made to cool to a low operating temperature. The cooling
phase is finished after a specified period, as given in corresponding equation.
3.3 Pressure dew point as a function of compressor heat
Figure 4 shows the variations of pressure dew point of dry air with respect to regeneration temperature. In
multistage compression, the temperature of compressed air would be in the range of 140–180°C. This
heat energy is utilised for the regeneration purpose in closed type regeneration mode. With this heating
potential, the dry air pressure dew point of -5°C, -10°C, -15°C, -20°C, -25°C and − 30°C can be achieved for
the regeneration temperature of 108°C,120°C,130°C,142°C,153°C, and 165°C respectively.
3.4 Energy cost diagrams
Figure 5 shows the cost of energy concerning constant volume flow rate and feed temperature per 1000
m3. This figure clearly shows that at higher operating pressures, regeneration by heat mode adsorption
dryers is assessed more favorably than heatless regeneration mode adsorption dryers. Regeneration by
heat mode dryers result in promising load factor through secondary relative humidity which is pressure-
dependent and yields to the best correlation between volume flow rate from the entry to the working state.
These things do not apply to heatless regeneration mode adsorption dryers.

Figure 6 shows the cost of energy calculated at constant pressure and volume but different feed
temperatures per 1000 m3. It is evident from all curves that adsorption dryers with heatless regeneration
should work more favorably at greater inlet temperature than regeneration by heat mode adsorption
dryers. For regeneration by heat mode adsorption dryers, the greater inlet temperature affects secondary
relative humidity and contributes to unfavorable load factor.

Figure 7 shows the cost of energy calculated at constant pressure and feed temperature but different
volume flow rate 1000 m3. The curve for heatless regeneration adsorption dryers remains constant for
these dryers the volume change results in energy cost change. With regeneration by heat mode
adsorption dryers show a lower cost per 1000 m3 as flow rate increases. This is due to the nature of the
dryer, regeneration methods, and purge air requirements. The amount of these electrical energy,
compressed air flow requirements, and regeneration energies, is caused by different parameters, resulting
in different curve shape.

Figure 8 shows the capital and energy costs of adsorption dryers per 1000 m3 at constant feed pressure
and temperature for varied volume flow rate. Due to their design, the heatless regeneration mode
adsorption dryer is cheaper to produce than a regeneration by heat mode adsorption dryer. Capital and
energy expenses move in opposite directions with these dryers. The results used for dryer comparison is
arrived from basic data. The plot shows that regeneration by heat mode dryers are cheaper in terms of
capital and energy costs than the heatless regeneration mode adsorption dryers.
3.5 Application suitability
Page 14/27
Table 2 shows the summary of suitability of different adsorption systems based on key parameters such
as product air flow rate, PDPT, operating pressure of air, and operating temperature of air.

Table 2
Application suitability of different regeneration modes
S. Application specification Regeneration by Regeneration by Regeneration by
internal heat external heat compressor heat
No

1 Air flow up to 200m3/hr × × ×

  Air flow from 200 to 5000 √ √ √

m3/hr

  Air flow from 5000 m3/hr × √ √

2 Process air temperature × × ×

from 45°C

  Process air temperature √ √ √

from 25 to 45°C

  Process air temperature √ √ √

from 5 to 25°C

3 Operating pressure from √ √ √

5 to 16 bar

  Operating pressure from √ √ √

3 to 5 bar

4 PDPT up to -20°C √ √ ×

  PDPT up to -40°C √ √ ×

  PDPT up to -70°C √ √ √

4 Conclusions
The three kinds of heat regeneration-based adsorption dryers were developed, and performance studies
were carried out. The following conclusions were drawn from the results.

Regeneration by heat mode adsorption dryers were suitable 25 to 45°C feed air inlet temperature, 3 to
16 bar operating pressure of process air, and − 40 to -70°C pressure dew point of product dry air.
Regeneration by heat mode adsorption dryer is most suitable for strongly adsorbed species.
Desorbate may be recovered at high concentrations. It is unsuitable for rapid cycling, so adsorbent
cannot be used with maximum efficiency.
The results revealed that the characteristic specific energy requirement in terms of electrical energy
for internal heating regeneration, external heating regeneration and compressor air heating

Page 15/27
 regeneration are 0.176 kW/m3/min,0.342 kW/m3/min, and 0 kW/m3/min respectively. In addition to
that the characteristic specific energy requirement in terms of dried regeneration air requirement for
internal heating, external heating and compressor air heating are 0.203 kW/m3/min,0 kW/m3/min,
and 0 kW/m3/min respectively.
It is also concluded that the energy and capital cost referred to 35°C feed air temperature and 8 bar
abs. feed air pressure for 3000 m3/hr volume flow rate of product air attracts same amount for all
the three modes of heat regeneration.
This system comparison with reproducible dryer data for the varying performance ranges can be
utilized for practical purposes.

Nomenclature
po - Absolute operating pressure

g - Acceleration due to gravity

tL - Adsorption time

DPT - Dew point temperature

DBT - Dry bulb temperature

tdwell - Dwell time

Vregen air - Regeneration volume flow

RH - Relative humidity

s - second

Vregen air - Volume flow rate of regeneration air

po - Absolute operating pressure

g - Acceleration due to gravity

tL - Adsorption time

DPT - Dew point temperature

Declarations
Ethical approval

Not applicable

Competing interests
Page 16/27
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that
could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Authors' contributions

Suresh kannan. V-Investigation, original manuscript preparation

Vijayan. S-Investigation, supervision

Lenin. V. R -Investigation

Matheswaran. M.M-Validation

Sowrirajan. M-Validation

Funding

Not applicable

Availability of data and materials

Not applicable

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Figures

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Figure 1

Schematic diagram of adsorption system heat regeneration modes

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Figure 2

Variation of PDPT corresponding to desorption temperature

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Figure 3

Variation pressure dew point with respect to logarithmic temperature difference

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Figure 4

Pressure dew point as a function of compressor heat

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Figure 5

Energy cost referred to Q=3000 m3/hr and Ti=35°C

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Figure 6

Energy cost referred to Q=3000 m3/hr and p=8 bar abs

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Figure 7

Energy cost referred to p=8 bar and Ti=35°C

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Figure 8

Energy and capital cost referred to Ti=35°C and p=8 bar abs.

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