Air dryer

Compressed Air Dryers

Moisture in compressed air leads to corrosion, microbiological risks, and equipment failures. Our adsorption dryers deliver consistently low dew points and reliably protect equipment and product quality. Our team will assist you with selection, sizing, and integration into compressed air systems.

Compressed air dryers with adsorption technology for consistently low dew points

Adsorption dryers, also known as desiccant dryers, remove water vapor from compressed air by adsorbing the moisture using desiccants such as activated alumina, silica gel, or molecular sieves. The result is compressed air with a low dew point, which prevents corrosion, condensation, and microbiological risks in sensitive production areas. Typical configurations use dual towers with alternating adsorption and regeneration cycles.

Hengst Filtration offers three categories of compressed air dryers to meet capacity and performance requirements: our compact modular adsorption dryers, which achieve a dew point of −40 °C at up to 110 m³/h, our mid-range adsorption dryers for −40 °C at up to 3,050 m³/h, and custom-designed adsorption dryers developed for specific process and compliance requirements. Our compressed air dryers are used in a variety of industries, including the food and beverage industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the packaging industry, in paint systems, and in general industrial compressed air systems.

Our compressed air dryers: Stable dew points, efficient regeneration, and energy-saving.

Our compressed air dryers are characterized by stable dew point values, system protection, and efficient regeneration. Our solutions ensure hygienic environments and can be scaled from modular to custom-designed systems to meet a wide range of industrial requirements.

  • Consistent compressed air quality with controlled dew points even under fluctuating load conditions
  • Corrosion protection for valves, controls, and pneumatic components
  • Energy-efficient regeneration and intelligent control to reduce operating costs
  • Hygienic configurations with compliant materials for food and pharmaceutical applications
  • Scalable portfolio ranging from compact modules to custom-designed large-scale systems

We can help you select and configure an adsorption dryer for your process.

Our experts evaluate pressure, flow rate, dew point, and applicable regulations to recommend the right solution for you.

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Applications for compressed air dryers

Dry compressed air prevents corrosion, condensation, and microbial growth. Adsorption dryers deliver compressed air with a low dew point for processes where hygiene and productivity are critical. The typical target values comply with the " Moisture classes according to ISO 8573 " and ensure reliable operation and high product quality. Adsorption dryers are used in a wide range of industrial applications.

Food & Beverages

Dry compressed air prevents condensation and microbial growth on surfaces that come into contact with products and on packaging lines. Adsorption dryers deliver low dew points, which reduce corrosion in pneumatic systems, improve reliability during filling and sealing, and minimize water carryover. Adjusting the process air to meet the humidity classes specified in ISO 8573 supports hygienic production and consistent product quality.

Discuss your application requirements with one of our experts

Please let us know your process requirements, such as dew point, pressure, flow rate, and standards like ISO 8573. We will help you translate these into a specification for an adsorption dryer that meets your needs.

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Resources & Expertise

Discover how-to articles, inspirational posts, webinars, and e-books that explore the latest developments, applications, and best practices in filtration. Use our resources to deepen your expertise, gain new insights, and find the right solution for your filtration needs.

Expertise: ISO 8573-1 Guidelines on the Quality of Compressed Air for Food Production

Compressed air is an often-overlooked but critical component of food and beverage production. It is used in packaging, processes, and equipment, such as in the dairy industry or in bottled water production. Nevertheless, its quality is often overlooked. This article explains the ISO 8573-1 classification for compressed air and shows how quality managers and production supervisors can reliably ensure product quality and process reliability with a targeted filtration strategy.

Read the article

Services for Selecting Compressed Air Dryers

We support you with on-site process analyses as well as with the selection and optimization of compressed air dryers to help you achieve your target dew points and energy efficiency goals. We evaluate operating conditions, regulatory requirements, and integration into existing compressed air systems.

Compressed air testing in accordance with ISO 8573

With our compressed air quality testing, we assess compressed air quality in accordance with ISO 8573, for example in the food and beverage industry. Through our testing, we help our customers ensure optimal compressed air quality through effective filtration, particularly in applications where air comes into direct or indirect contact with food or beverages. A trained expert will visit your facility to analyze your process requirements and recommend a dryer configuration and supplementary filtration to improve production efficiency.

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Get support for your compressed air treatment

Our filtration experts can help you identify inefficiencies, integrity issues, and opportunities for optimization in your compressed air system. Please send us a specific project inquiry or any questions you may have about compressed air treatment.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Adsorption Dryers

These FAQs address common technical questions regarding adsorption dryers, dew points, sizing, and standards for compressed air quality in industrial facilities.

What is the difference between adsorption dryers and refrigeration dryers?

Refrigeration dryers cool the air to condense moisture, typically achieving dew points around +3 °C. Adsorption dryers use desiccants to adsorb water vapor and can achieve significantly lower dew points, typically −40 °C to −70 °C (depending on the configuration). Our adsorption dryers achieve dew points as low as −40 °C. This is common in many applications.

Which standards are relevant for determining the dryness of compressed air?

ISO 8573-1 defines purity classes for compressed air, including moisture content above the pressure dew point. Applications within the EU may also require compliance with PED 2014/68/EU, CE marking, and ATEX.

How do I size an adsorption dryer?

Take into account the inlet pressure, the maximum and average flow rate (Nm³/h), the inlet temperature, the target dew point, the ambient conditions, and the duty cycle. Take safety factors for peak loads into account and verify compliance with the ISO 8573 moisture class for the specific application.

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Hengst SE
Nienkamp 55-85
48147 Münster
GERMANY
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