Highly purified compressed air is critical for food and beverage process applications including milk and yogurt.
“In recent years, Donaldson has made important technological advances in process filtration, including the introduction of our highly successful LifeTec liquid filters,” said Colter Marcks, Donaldson’s global engineering manager for process filtration.
“Our latest innovation — the Ultrapac Smart dryer — provides clean, dry compressed air at critical points of use in industrial production facilities. This, in turn, extends the life of plant equipment, supports product and process integrity, and helps provide a safe and productive work environment.”
The Ultrapac Smart dryer design accommodates unique location and spatial conditions, enabling configurations that fit among large equipment, conveyor lines and other machines. With three versions — Superplus, Plus and Standard— and a modular design, the dryer can be installed vertically, horizontally or on a wall.
The company said as a compact, stand-alone, plug-and-work solution, all Ultrapac Smart dryer components, including the filter elements and the desiccant cartridge, are easy to access and replace.
For improved efficiency, the dryer uses a depth filter and Donaldson’s UltraPleat filtration technology to separate liquid particles, improve the adsorption capacity of water vapor, decrease pressure loss and save compressed air energy. Additionally, the desiccant cartridge uses a spring-loaded design to help improve adsorption efficiency in the dryer, and the benefits are also realized when the dryer is installed horizontally.
Once installed, the Superplus dryer’s touchscreen display enables plant management teams to interact with the dryer and proactively monitor performance levels, including pressure dew point levels, adsorption status and other real-time data. Also, utilizing Donaldson’s UltraSilencer technology, the UltraPac Smart dryer noise emissions are in the 60 dB range, similar to the volume of a normal conversation and quieter than comparable adsorption dryers.
“Proactively monitoring dryer performance is critical to ensure your compressed air is being filtered and dried properly. The costs associated with wet and dirty air can add up quickly due to more frequent filter changes and other unexpected maintenance needs,” said Marcks.
The dryer’s remote on/off signal can be linked to a plant’s central control unit or machine controller. It can also connect to the compressor load signal so it is only on when the compressor is running.
The UltraPac Smart dryer helps achieve compressed air quality suitable for industrial applications in accordance with ISO 8573-1:2010, ISO 7183 and ISO 3744.