All natural air contains water vapor. When the air becomes too cold to hold any more vapor after entering a compressor, the vapor transforms into liquefied water. (The dew point, is the temperature that triggers this process, it denotes the amount of drying required for clean air compression.)
The dew point is the temperature at which air is saturated with water vapor, which is the gaseous state of water.
When air has reached the dew-point temperature at a particular pressure, the water vapor in the air is in equilibrium with liquid water, meaning water vapor is condensing at the same rate at which liquid water is evaporating.
Below the dew point, liquid water will begin to condense on solid surfaces (such as blades of grass) or around solid particles in the atmosphere (such as dust or salt), forming clouds or fog.
For industrial applications, compressed air dryers have become one of the most important components of the compression process. Air drying is necessary for the simple fact that while air itself is compressible, water isn’t.
Since the adoption of air compression and the expansion of the number of sectors using the technology, the need for vapor-free air has increased. As a result, the need for drying equipment has also increased rapidly.
Compressed air in industries must be kept dry at all times during the production process. Otherwise, a number of operations, including the performance of pneumatic tools and the operation of motors and valves, could go wrong, all of which will ultimately have an adverse effect on production and the bottom line. Subsequently, measuring dew point in industrial settings is critical to ensuring that sensitive equipment does not undergo corrosive damage and the quality of end products is preserved.
Detrimental effects of moisture in production processes:
• Due to worn-out lubrication, moving compressor parts may rust or experience wear and tear.
• Inconsistent spray-painting application in terms of their tone, texture, and adhesion
• Pneumatic controls have domino effects on all activities; their corrosion or clogging can cause industrial shutdowns and enormous financial losses.
• Wintertime ice accumulation in the control line can impair the functionality of controls.
• Gas and air-powered tool corrosion, which can result in inaccurate readings, interruptions, or even failures of plant operations
Every sector of industry has realized that vapor-free air is necessary for every tool connected to an air compressor to function consistently and dependably.
Everyday dew point applications:
• Medical and breathing air regulations: Most medical gas and breathing air laws include dew point monitoring.
• Industrial compressed air systems: Assist in ensuring the dependable performance of pneumatic devices and shield compressed air lines from corrosion and icing.
• Plastics drying: Ensuring product quality while maintaining optimum dryer performance helps to prevent wastage of resources and expensive production stoppages.
• Food and pharmaceutical industries: Compressed air is used in several applications within the food and pharmaceutical sectors. Drying, coating quality control, filling, and packaging are examples of typical applications.
• Trains and buses: The safety and dependability of the brake, door, and air-conditioning systems on mass transit is dependent on the dew point measurement in the compressed air.
Accurate compressed air testing and dew point measurement are done using a specialized dew point sensor which can be incorporated into air compression system setups. Some sensors even provide continuous data on the saturation level of the compressed air flowing through it. These sensors require minimal adjustments and can function effectively year-round on a single calibration check. Vaisala DRYCAP Sensors are specialized for such applications with an auto-calibration feature.