Atlas Copco Desiccant Dryers for UK Industrial Applications
Where you require extremely low levels of water vapour in your compressed air, a desiccant air dryer is a necessity. Design Air (Scotland) Ltd, as a premier Atlas Copco UK distributor, can provide a complete range of Desiccant Dryers capable of achieving -20, -40 and even -70DegC pressure dew points (p.d.p). These systems are essential to remove moisture from compressed air, protecting critical downstream equipment, preventing pipework corrosion, and ensuring end-product quality for sensitive industrial applications.
To dry compressed air down to these levels can be costly, however, in terms of electrical energy. Fortunately, as official Atlas Copco distributors, we can supply highly efficient adsorption dryers which provide the lowest total cost of ownership. We have models that use a range of innovative regeneration processes, from reliable heatless twin-tower designs to highly efficient blower purge and zero-purge heat of compression (HOC) dryers, to match your specific energy and flow requirements.
Why Choose an Atlas Copco Desiccant Air Dryer From Design Air?
Lowest Total Cost of Ownership
As you will likely keep your new air dryer for at least 10 years, around 80% of your total cost of ownership in this period will be in electrical energy costs.
Atlas Copco Desiccant Air Dryers are extremely efficient and typically have the lowest total cost of ownership when factoring in initial purchase price, electrical running costs and maintenance costs. Many models feature the advanced Elektronikon® control and monitoring system with Dew Point Dependent Switching (DDS). This technology extends the drying cycle by monitoring the actual moisture load, preventing unnecessary regeneration and drastically reducing energy consumption.
Financing Options
At Design Air, we can be flexible to meet your payment requirements. We appreciate that purchasing an Atlas Copco Dryer is a long term investment, so we can help you finance your purchase over 3-60 months
Instead of waiting for a return on your investment, make a saving immediately. We can demonstrate that your monthly payments will be lower than the electrical cost savings your new compressed air system will provide.
7 Year Guardian Warranty
As official Atlas Copco Distributors, if you agree to a Guardian Service Plan with us, your new Desiccant Dryer will come complete with a 7 year warranty.
We’re confident that our Guardian Service Plan will ensure that your new Desiccant Dryer continues to run reliably and efficiently. However, in the event it doesn’t you wont pay a penny for the repair. This plan provides complete peace of mind and predictable maintenance costs for your air treatment system.
Our Range of Atlas Copco Desiccant Dryers
Heatless Desiccant Dryers (CD & CD+ Range)
- Max Inlet Capacity: 2 - 3,392 cfm (depending on model)
- Pressure Dewpoint Options: -20DegC & -40DegC & -70DegC
- These classic twin tower desiccant air dryers regenerate by using only compressed air as a purge. This simple, robust dryer design is highly reliable and an ideal solution for lower flow rates or hazardous environments where electrical components are a concern.
Heated Blower Desiccant Dryers (BD & BD+ Range)
- Max Inlet Capacity: 100 - 6,360 cfm (depending on model)
- Pressure Dewpoint Options: -40DegC & -70DegC
- These highly efficient blower purge desiccant air dryers use a combination of air from an external blower and heat to regenerate the desiccant. This design drastically reduces the use of costly compressed air for purging, offering significant energy savings for 24/7 industrial applications.
The Cerades™ Revolution: A New Dryer Design
Some of Atlas Copco’s premium dryers use the revolutionary Cerades™ desiccant. Developed and patented by Atlas Copco, this is the first dryer to feature a solid, structured desiccant.
- No Dust: Traditional desiccant beads break down over time, creating fine dust that contaminates your compressed air system. Cerades™ is a solid block, eliminating this risk, protecting your equipment, and ensuring higher air purity.
- Higher Efficiency: Air flows straight through the Cerades™ tubes, leading to a much lower pressure drop than with loose beads. This saves energy and reduces your operational costs.
- Longer Lifetime: Cerades™ is vibration-resistant, lasts longer, and provides better air quality and extended service intervals.
Heat of Compression (HOC) & Rotary Drum Dryers
For the ultimate in energy efficiency, we also offer Heat of Compression (HOC) dryers (like the XD+ series) and rotary drum dryers (MDG, MD & ND range). These dryers use the available heat generated during air compression—energy that is normally wasted—to regenerate the desiccant. This results in a near-zero energy cost for regeneration and is an ideal choice for critical oil-free air applications.
Air Compressor FAQs?
A desiccant air dryer, also known as an adsorption dryer, removes moisture from compressed air by passing it over a hygroscopic (water-attracting) desiccant material. Most of these dryers consist of two pressure vessels (a twin-tower design). While one vessel (tower) is actively drying the air, the second, saturated vessel is taken offline and regenerated (purged of moisture). This cycle ensures a constant, uninterrupted supply of dry air to your facility.
A refrigerated air dryer is suitable for general-purpose applications, cooling the air to a pressure dew point (PDP) of around +3°C. A desiccant dryer is used for critical processes requiring ultra-dry air. It achieves much lower PDPs, such as -20°C, -40°C, or even -70°C. This level of air quality is essential to prevent freezing in outdoor pipework in UK winters and to protect sensitive applications in industries like pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, and electronics.
PDP, or Pressure Dew Point, is the temperature at which water vapour in compressed air will condense into liquid at a given pressure. A lower PDP means drier air. A -40°C PDP, for example, guarantees that no liquid water will form in your compressed air system unless the ambient temperature drops below -40°C.