Just read a comment on Youtube about putting the regulator before all of the drying filtering equipment. The reasoning being that dropping the pressure would aid in cooling down the air quicker and result in more effective drying in the various traps and coolers.
What do you think? Where should the regulator go? maybe right out of the compressor and then a water trap?
Compressor-> regulator->water trap->vertical up to the refrigerated air dryer->vertical down to first desiccant->water trap-> second desiccant->Motorguard filter->plasma?
The reason you’d want to put a regulator directly after your tank is to mitigate static pressure.
PSI rises static pressure will also rise in the system.
And the other huge factor is CFM and static pressure are linked together by the squared law
Which means small increases in CFM equal gigantic increases in static pressure.
If I turn my air system up to 180 lb my static pressure would be through the roof. This would make the unit run very hard and hot.
The best and most ideal option is to run the lowest possible air pressure you can and still maintain the correct CFM at the plasma.
I guess in a sense they’re right that it’ll be easier to cool but you’re cooling less air.
Compressor-> regulator->optional passive or active heat exchanger( or 20 ft of pipe)>coalescing filter> refrigerated air dryer- coalescing filter>optional storage tank>desiccant >Motorguard filter->inlet pressure gauge>plasma
I believe at least a quart is about the minimum I would want. Unless you want to be changing it every 2-4 hours of operation.
Desiccant gets used up way faster than most people think. Especially when they’re asking it do more load than it was designed for.
I did a post on it years ago showing the life expectancy of desiccant versus CFM if you want to maintain a minus 40 pressure dew point, I’m not sure where it is now.
well then i may as well use the smaller dryers that I already have. If they prove to be inadequate, I’ll revisit the issue. But with the system I am going to put in place, it should be a massive improvement from what I had.
It is very frustrating for there to not be a “this is it” product to get. I guess there is, but the Tsunami aid dryers are more expensive than the refrigerated air dryer that I got… Very frustrating.
I have been using a Arrow StageAir Desiccant Dryer for over 10yrs. It has a 1 gallon of desiccant in it and has worked very well. As others have shared, you have to stay on top of maintaining the desiccant. Its been protecting the air for my CNC mill and lathe.
You can also get the 1 Gal desiccant tank part by itself for $212. Then, fit it in with your other filters, etc.
I recently added an Ingersoll-Rand D42 refrigerated drier off the compressor for the whole shop. But now, reading this thread, I think I will move the Arrow Desiccant system over for the plasma table. The CNC equipment is a good 100’ run away from the drier + 25’ up and 25" down with water traps on 3/4" pipe. The CNC machines are probably fine w/o the Desiccant, and the plasma will be happier with it.
I know you guys think the water filters are unsafe but I just got a couple of the pentek big blue water filters and the 20" is rated up to 90psi and I think the 10" is even higher, lots of desiccant capacity and amazon has stainless fine screen wire to make it work, I trust the pentek filters and have used them at 75psi for 50 years with out failure and even the knock off filters that have failed are from people over tightening them, if you are really worried put it in a metal tube, the desiccant filter would be used at your cutting pressure only https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G91E85Q?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
this is the 1 1/2" high flow without the pressure relief and the clear is probably rated for less pressure
It isn’t a matter of is it “safe”. You are using it in a manner that it isn’t designed for. Contact the manufacturer and see what they say. The pressure and loads are much different.
Now the way I see it one has spent thousands of dollars just to be a tight wad on what can be a safety issue. Someone get hurt because someone uses something for a purpose it is intended how would you feel?
I would only do something like this as a last resort and in some sort of a containment device. Even if a proper filter failed it could be a life changing event.
There is, “It won’t handle it, and will explode violently”, and then there’s “it was not designed for that, it may not hold up and could rupture.”
People need to be responsible and safe. It IMO can really be taken too far that even a remote risk is unacceptable and precautions need to be taken.
How the f@$k has our species survived the industrial revolution
Yes I blew my wad on a plasma table and plasma cutter, and air compressor. I have chump change left to buy material and other more critical safety gear like vision, hearing, breathing, handling hot and sharp material.
Saving $600 $800 by using a couple hose water filter housings full of desiccant at a regulated 90 psi is a minor risk compared to that thin steel vessel holding 150 psi constantly subjected to rust conditions that I can’t see.
I personally don’t think this type of comment is constructive. I’m not trying to skirt proper safety considerations. I’ve worked at a chemical refinery with extremely dangerous substances for years. I understand proper safety culture. I’ve worked around chemicals that will kill you within 24 hours if you come in physical contact with them.
All I’m trying to do is find the best dollar-to-effect solution to my issues I can find.
Just because it isn’t phrased in a manner that would come off as “nice” does not mean it doesn’t carry merit.
Having worked at a chemical refinery, I’m sure there were many SOP’s that were heavily enforced (paired with OSHA regulations) so why shouldn’t the same idea be practiced in your own shop?
If I cannot afford a large capacity, or high-pressure handling unit for a desiccant filter, I would rather write off the investment rather than put myself and my equipment at risk by using something not meant for the application at hand.
Doesn’t matter how nice or mean my statement was, don’t use something for an application it isn’t made for.
I just got done cutting a sign for my kid. Even in my own shop I wear gloves, eyepro, earpro, run proper ventilation, as well as wearing carbon toe boots because it’s not worth risking my own health just because I wanted to make something cost effective.
Yes, desiccant air dryers were developed for drying air. They are undoubtably the best choice for drying air at a microbial level that you can get. I want to know:
are they the only choice?
are they the most cost-effective choice?
is it safe?
Keep in mind:
From Chat GPT:
" Yes, copper tubing has been used for air lines, but it was not specifically developed for that purpose. Copper tubing was originally designed for plumbing and refrigeration, but due to its durability and resistance to corrosion, it became a popular choice for compressed air systems, especially in certain applications."
Copper tubing is one of the most common and effective ways of drying air. I can’t put in a copper tubing system as I don’t have the wall space. But it wasn’t developed for air drying purposes… Just like water filters. I wanted to know if using a water filter was:
effective
cost effective
safe
You want to say that something isn’t safe, say it isn’t safe. Don’t say that the entire reason we are all here reading this is out of someone’s league/capabilities. All that does is make them want to quit something that is very easy to quit as it is. Unless you were trained as a machinist or worked in this very specific industry (in which case you probably wouldn’t come here for help), you are here because this is a discipline that is foreign to you. Maybe it is more foreign to some than others. But don’t discourage the less informed to pursue this trade.
