Atlas Copco introduces Cerades, its patented desiccant for compressed air dryers. The solid, ceramic desiccant offers operators of compressed air significantly better air quality, lowering pressure drops by up to 70%, with improved energy efficiency, lower service costs, and improved environmental benefits, according to the company. The vibration resistant Cerades desiccant, enables trouble-free installation and continuous operation in rigorous applications such as ones commonly found in the transportation industry.
Cerades streamlines the flow of the compressed air through a desiccant dryer. Compressed air flows directly through Cerades’ straight-structured tubes, as opposed to pushing its way through the thousands of separate beads found in loose desiccant. This no-resistance flow means the air experiences a smaller pressure drop as it travels through the dryer, significantly lowering the energy cost of operation, according to the company.
Cerades’ structural integrity and long lifetime offer a number of operational and environmental benefits. Traditional desiccant decays over time as it bounces around during cycling. This can compromise air quality and necessitate more frequent maintenance. In addition, as loose desiccant decomposes, it releases a fine dust into the air system, which requires extra filtration and maintenance. The solid desiccant eliminates this dust problem, giving users an ISO 8573-1:2010 Class 2 air purity for particles without any extra filtration.
Cerades desiccant reportedly lasts on average a minimum of two years longer than traditional desiccant, and under normal operating conditions a user would change Cerades desiccant every seven years. Changing a traditional loose desiccant in a dryer, due to the amount of dust particles, is a time-consuming health and environmental hazard, which is eliminated by Cerades.
The new CD 20-335+ (CD+) range models are the first dryers using the Cerades desiccant.
