COMPRESSED AIR PLANT OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE As an Engineman, you must be thoroughly aware of the operational and safety

procedures you must use when you are operating or maintaining a compressed air system. You must operate any air compressor or air system in strict compliance with approved operating procedures. Compressed air is potentially very dangerous. Keep in mind that cleanliness is of greatest importance in all maintenance that requires the opening of compressed air systems. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS There are many hazards associated with pressurized air, particularly air under high pressure. Dangerous explosions have occurred in highpressure air systems because of DIESEL EFFECT. If a portion of an unpressurized system or component is suddenly and rapidly pressurized with high-pressure air, a large amount of heat is produced. If the heat is excessive, the air may reach the ignition temperature of the impurities present in the air and piping (oil, dust, and so forth). When the ignition temperature is reached, a violent explosion will occur as these impurities ignite. Ignition temperatures may also result from other causes. Some are rapid pressurization of a low-pressure dead end portion of the piping system, malfunctioning of compressor after-coolers, and leaky or dirty valves. Use every precaution to have only clean, dry air at the compressor inlet. Air compressor accidents have also been caused by improper maintenance procedures. These accidents can happen when you disconnect parts under pressure, replace parts with units designed for lower pressures, and install stop valves or check valves in improper locations. Improper operating procedures have resulted in air compressor accidents with serious injury to personnel and damage to equipment. You must take every possible step to minimize the hazards inherent in the process of compres-sion and in the use of compressed air. Strictly follow all safety precautions outlined in the NAVSEA technical manuals and in the Naval Ships Technical Manual, chapter 551. Some of these hazards and precautions are as follows: 1. Explosions can be caused by dust-laden air or by oil vapor in the compressor or receiver. These explosions are triggered by abnormally high temperatures, which may be caused by leaky or dirty valves, excessive pressurization rates, and faulty cooling systems. 2. NEVER use distillate fuel or gasoline as a degreaser to clean compressor intake filters, cylinders, or air passages. These oils vaporize easily and will form a highly explosive mixture with the air under compression. 3. Secure a compressor immediately if you observe that the temperature of the air being discharged from any stage exceeds the maximum temperature specified. 4. NEVER leave the compressor station after starting the compressor unless you are sure that the control, unloading, and governing devices are operating properly. 5. If the compressor is to remain idle for any length of time or is in an exposed position in freezing weather, thoroughly drain the compressor circulating water system. 6. Before working on a compressor, be sure the compressor is secured and cannot start automatically or accidentally. Completely blow down the compressor, and then secure all valves (including the control or unloading valves) between the compressor and the receiver. Follow the appropriate tag-out procedures for the compressor control valves and the isolation valves. When the gauges are in place, leave the pressure gauge cutout valves open at all times. 7. When cutting air into the whistle, the siren, or a piece of machinery, be sure the supply line to the equipment has been properly drained of moisture. When securing the supply of air to the affected equipment, be sure all drains are left open. 8. Before disconnecting any part of an air system, be sure the part is not under pressure. Always leave the pressure gauge cutout valves open to the sections to which they are attached. 9. Avoid rapid operation of manual valves. The heat of compression caused by a sudden flow of high pressure into an empty line or vessel can cause an explosion if oil or other impurities are present. Slowly crack open the valves until flow is noted, and keep the valves in this position until pressure on both sides has equalized. Keep the rate of pressure rise under 200 psi per second. SUMMARY In this chapter, we have covered the various types of air compressors you will be required to operate. We have discussed how the air is compressed and the requirements and methods of producing oil-free air as well as how moisture is removed from the compressed air. We have also discussed some of the safety precautions you must use whenever you are operating or working on a compressed air plant or system. If you are unclear as to any of this information, go back and review this chapter before proceeding to chapter 15

Desiccant Type of Air Dehydrator (Type II) A desiccant is a drying agent. More practically, a desiccant is a substance with a high capacity to remove (adsorb) water or moisture. It also has a high capacity to give off that moisture so that the desiccant can be reused. DESICCANT-TYPE DEHYDRATORS are basically composed of cylindrical flasks filled with desiccant. Compressed air system dehydrators use a pair of desiccant towers. One tower is in service dehydrating the compressed air while the other is being reactivated. A desiccant tower is normally reactivated when dry, heated air is routed through the tower in the direction opposite to that of the normal dehydration airflow. The hot air evaporates the collected moisture and carries it out of the tower to the atmosphere. The air for the purge cycle is heated by electrical heaters. When the tower that is reactivating has completed the reactivation cycle, it is placed in service to dehydrate air, and the other tower is reactivated. Another type of desiccant dehydrator in use is the Heat-Less dryer. These units require no electrical heaters or external sources of purge air. Figure 14-24 shows the compressed air entering at the bottom of the left tower (view A). The compressed air then passes upward through the desiccant, where it is dried to a very low moisture content. The dry air passes through the check valve to the dry air outlet. Simultaneously, a small percentage of the dry air passes through the orifice between the towers and flows down through the right tower. This dry air reactivates the desiccant

Figure 14-24.-Heat-Less desiccant dehydrator. and passes out through the purge exhaust. At the end of the cycle, the towers are automatically reversed, as shown in view B. Refrigeration and Desiccant Type of Air Dehydrator (Type III) Some installations may use a combination of refrigeration and absorption for moisture removal. Hot wet air from the compressor first enters a refrigeration-type dehydrator where low-temperature R-12 removes heat from the airstream and condenses water vapor from the air. The cold, partially-dried air then flows into a desiccant-type dehydrator, where the desiccant absorbs additional moisture from the air. A compressed air dryer is a device for removing water vapor from compressed air. Compressed air dryers are commonly found in a wide range of industrial and commercial facilities. The process of air compression concentrates atmospheric contaminants, including water vapor. This raises the dew point of the compressed air relative to free atmospheric air and leads to condensation within pipes as the compressed air cools downstream of the compressor. Excessive water in compressed air, in either the liquid or vapor phase, can cause a variety of operational problems for users of compressed air. These include freezing of outdoor air lines, corrosion in piping and equipment, malfunctioning of pneumatic process control instruments, fouling of processes and products, and more. There are various types of compressed air dryers. [1] Their performance characteristics are typically defined by the dew point. Regenerative desiccant dryers, often called "regens" or "twin tower" dryers Refrigerated dryers Deliquescent dryers [2]

Membrane dryers

Water vapor is removed from compressed air to prevent condensation from occurring and to prevent moisture from interfering in sensitive industrial processes. Contents 1 Characteristics 2 Refrigerated dryer 3 Deliquescent dryer 4 Desiccant dryer 5 Membrane dryer 6 Usage 7 External links

Characteristics A regenerative desiccant dryer typically delivers a dew point of between -40F(-40C) and -100F (-73C) A refrigerated dryer delivers a dew point not lower than approximately 35F (2C) A deliquescent dryer delivers a dew point suppression that fluctuates with air temperature. Typically this suppression is 20F below the compressed air temperature.

Refrigerated dryer Refrigeration dryers employ two heat exchangers, one for air-to-air and one for air-to-refrigeration. However, there is also a single TRISAB heat exchanger that combines both functions. The compressors used in this type of dryer are usually of the hermetic type and the most common gas used is R-134a. The goal of having two heat exchangers is that the cold outgoing air cools down the hot incoming air and reduces the size of compressor required. At the same time the increase in the temperature of outgoing air prevents re-condensation. Most manufacturers produce "cycling dryers". These store a cold mass that cools the air when the compressor is OFF. When the refrigeration compressor runs, the large mass takes much longer to cool, so the compressor runs longer, and stays OFF longer. These units operate at lower dew points, typically in the 35 to 40 degree F range. When selected with the optional "cold coalescing filter", these units can deliver compressed air with lower dew points. Some manufacturers are marketing compressors with built-in refrigeration dryers, but these have had a mixed acceptance in the market. Commonly a coalesing prefilter is installed immediately upstream of a refrigerated dryer to remove lubricating oil and other contaminants that have the potential to foul the dryer's heat exchangers. Deliquescent dryer A deliquescent dryer typically consists of a pressure vessel filled with a hygroscopic media that absorbs water vapor. The media gradually dissolvesor deliquescesto form a solution at the base of the pressure vessel. The liquid must be regularly drained from the vessel and new media must be added. The media is usually in tablet or briquette form. Deliquescent dryers have no moving parts and don't require electrical power for operation. Common applications therefore often involve remote, hazardous, or mobile worksites. Deliquescent dryers are used for removing water vapor from compressed air, natural gas, and waste gases such as landfill gas and digester gas. The performance of a deliquescent dryer, as measured by outlet dew point, is highly dependent on the temperature of the air or gas being processed, with cooler temperatures resulting in better performance. Desiccant dryer

The term "desiccant dryer" refers to a broad class of dryers. Other terms commonly used are regenerative dryer and twin tower dryer, and to a lesser extent absorption dryer. The compressed air is passed through a pressure vessel filled with an absorbent media such as activated alumina, silica gel, molecular sieve or other desiccant material. The desiccant can bring the dewpoint of the water vapor in the air down to -40 degrees C (-40 degrees F) or below. This means that the air will not condense (deposition) water until it is cooled to -40 degrees C (-40 degrees F). In practice, two cylinders with desiccant are used; one is drying the air, while the other vessel is being regenerated. The switching of the vessels and the regeneration sequence is typically done automatically via solenoid operated valves. The regeneration of the desiccant vessel can be during three different methods: Heatless "pressure-swing" drying, which uses part of the dry compressed air coming from the other vessel to dry the desiccant in the vessel being regenerated at lower pressure. Heated dryer, which uses a hot air blower, so there is no loss of compressed air. Heat of compression, which can only be used with an oilfree compressor.

Membrane dryer Membrane dryer refers to a dehumidication membrane that removes water vapor from compressed air. Typically, the compressed air is first filtered with a high quality coalescing filter. This filter removes liquid water, oil and particulate from the compressed air. The water vapor laden air then passes through the center bore of hollow fibers in the membrane bundle. At the same time, a small portion of the dry air product is redirected along the outside surface of the fibers to sweep out the water vapor which has permeated the membrane. The moisture-laden sweep gas is then vented to the atmosphere, and clean, dry air is supplied to the application. The membrane air dryers are designed to operate continuously, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Membrane air dryers are quiet, reliable and require no electricity to operate. Some dryers are non-porous which means they only permeate water vapor. Non-porous membranes' drying power is only a function of flow rate, pressure. The sweep flow is strictly controlled by an orifice and is not a function of temperature. Porous membranes are modified nitrogen membranes and pass air as well, usually changing the composition of the compressed air by reducing the oxygen content. The only maintenance required is changing the prefilter cartridge twice a year. The performance of porous membranes are dependent on temperature as well as operating pressure and flow. Membrane air dryers depress the incoming dewpoint. Most dryers have a challenge air dewpoint and pressure specification. So if the inlet dewpoint is lower than the specified challenge air then the outlet dewpoint is even lower than specified. For example, a dryer could be rated at a -40F dewpoint with a challenge of +70F dewpoint and 100 psig. If the incoming air has an inlet dewpoint of only 32F, the outlet dewpoint will be somewhat less. Pressure also plays a role. If the pressure is higher than the rated specification then the outlet dewpoint will be lowered. This lowering of the outlet dewpoint is due to the longer residence time that the air has inside the membrane. Using the spec above, an operating pressure of 120 psig will yield a lower outlet dewpoint than specified. The extent of the improvement is dependent on the nature of the membrane and could vary among manufacturers. Dewpoint suppression is not a feature of refrigerated dryers as they chill the incoming air to a fixed temperature, usually 35F. So a lower dewpoint challenge will not yield a dewpoint lower than 35F. Membrane air dryers are used in pneumatic components, spray painting, laser plenum purge, air bearings, air spindles, medical equipment, air guns and pneumatic brakes for vehicles & trains. Usage Drying air for use in commercial or industrial processes that demand dry air: o Telecomm industry (pressurizes its underground cables to repel moisture and avoid shorts) o o o o Painting Pneumatic tools Pneumatic control systems Feed air for Zeolite type Oxygen and Nitrogen generators

Truck and Train Air brake systems.