Bulk Desiccants

Andress Engineering Associates offers a wide range of desiccants for industrial applications.

Activated Alumina

Activated alumina is an aluminum oxide bead with an extremely porous structure and high surface area-to-mass ratio. Activated alumina has a wide variety of applications, including compressed air and gas drying. In compressed air and gas drying applications, activated alumina will achieve dew points -40F to -100F, depending on the dryer design. In compressed air desiccant dryers, a 1/8" (2-5 mm) activated alumina bead is most commonly used. The 1/4" (5-10 mm) activated alumina bead is typically used as a pre-bed for supporting large desiccant beads or as a buffer for silica gel beads. The 3/16" (5-10 mm) bead is used when pressure drop and surface area requirements fall between the 1/8" and 1/4" material.

Molecular Sieve

Molecular Sieve is highly porous sodium aluminosilicate bead for the adsorption of a wide range of liquids and gases. It has a fixed pore size according to the material specification. Molecular Sieve is normally used for special process applications. In compressed air and gas drying applications, molecular sieve will deliver pressure dew point to -100°F, depending on dryer design and operating conditions.

Silica Gel

Silica Gel is a spherical bead consisting of 97% silica and 3% alumina with a highly porous surface and a strong affinity for adsorbing water. Silica gel is also applied as a selective adsorbent for a wide-range of hydrocarbons, C02, siloxanes, sulfur, and many other compounds. Because silica gel fractures in the presence of liquid water, it is often protected with a pre-bed of activated alumina. In air and gas drying applications, dew points of -40°F and lower can be achieved with silica gel. 

Tab Support / Bed Support

Tabular Alumina support desiccant (alumina balls) is used as a support material in air dryer desiccant beds. These are uniform spheres of activated alumina. Tabular alumina is recrystallized or sintered activated alumina, so called because its morphology consists of large, 50-500 mm, flat tablet-shaped crystals of corundum.

Bed Support is used to supplement Alumina performance in adsorption applications. Using bed support to replace inert media can increase cycle times and inventor(y) life. Also helps to limit the effect of compressor oils, salts, and other high MW hydrocarbons on the adsorption bed.

Adsorbent beds are usually supported at the bottom with 3"-12" depth of bed support. 3"-6" is also recommended on the top of the adsorbent to serve as a gas flow distributor.

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