Eliminating the build-up of moisture is an ongoing challenge in the mining and offshore sectors, where the harsh and hazardous environments make it daunting to maintain the integrity of key infrastructure and equipment, which needs clean and dry air to operate efficiently.
Oxair, a leading global specialist in gas separation equipment, supplies desiccant air dryers that can help combat condensation in pipelines and keep machinery running for longer in mines without the disruption to production caused by major maintenance. For underground mining operations clean, dry air is vital. As well as affecting energy bills and production costs, contamination can result in poor performance of equipment, breakdowns, corrosion of parts, failure of air cylinders and solenoid valves as well as damage to air tools.
Air drying kit
Australia-based Oxair, which also supplies oxygen generators and nitrogen systems as a safer and more reliable alternative to cylinders, says its high-performance desiccant air dryers provide mines and offshore platforms with a clean and consistent compressed air supply to protect pneumatic instruments and keep pipeline applications as dry as possible, thus extending their life.
A typical desiccant air dryer pays for itself in less than a year by reducing and eliminating maintenance costs and downtime, while having less impact on the environment by reducing transport emissions through service call-outs and the disposal of broken parts.
Oxair’s David Cheeseman explained: “Condensation and corrosion can disrupt operations such as mining and oil and gas extraction. The flow rates of our equipment for generating instrument air are quite phenomenal and they can be customised for offshore lifting to a platform. With a desiccant dryer, machinery has a better chance of running at peak efficiency and surviving longer without major maintenance than it would without this essential equipment.”
Desiccant dryers pass compressed air through a pressure vessel with two ‘towers’ filled with an alumina desiccant bed. This is the material that adsorbs water from the air and the bed becomes saturated and is regenerated in the next cycle. The dryer is timed to switch towers based on a standard timing cycle. During drying some compressed air is used to purge/dry the depressurised desiccant offline bed. Another advantage Oxair’s twin-bed system has over its competitors is the gentle cycle turnover which allows it to carry on getting air through the dryer when swapping over beds, unlike a lot of other systems where the pressure drops slightly for a short period.
Offering a smaller footprint, flexibility and ease of installation, Oxair can supply different types of air dryers, available in both electric and pneumatic control formats. All are PLC controlled with reliable HMI touch screen, and the company also offers conversions on customers’ own air-drying equipment. Oxair also manufactures larger 25–30 bar dryers in a certified lifting frame (up to 10,000 SCFM). Ideal for pipeline maintenance and other offshore activities, Oxair’s air drying kit can be skid mounted. They provide a cost-effective solution for ensuring a continuous stream of dry air safely on-site in a wide range of remote locations and harsh environments including Zone 1 requirements.
Oxair is focused on meeting exacting customer requirements, reliability, ease of maintenance, safety, and plant self-protection. It is a world leading manufacturer of gas process systems, for shipboard and land-based use to suit any requirement.