Industrial air treatment
Refrigerated and desiccant air dryers for industrial compressed air systems. Match drying technology to your airflow, operating conditions and process needs.
Section Guide
Why Dry Air? Dryer Types Comparison Selection Product Range Air System OEM / Project FAQ InquiryWhy air drying matters
Moisture in compressed air can cause rust, damage air-powered tools and leave defects in painted surfaces. These problems can mean more repairs, rejected products and unexpected stops in production.
A compressed air dryer removes water vapor from the air before it reaches your equipment or process. This helps protect equipment and maintain product quality. Different applications need different levels of dryness, so the dryer should be chosen to suit how the air will be used.
Refrigerated drying
Cools the air so water vapor condenses, then separates and drains the liquid.
Desiccant drying
Uses an adsorbent to capture water vapor; the desiccant is regenerated for reuse.
Membrane drying
Passes compressed air through selective hollow fibers that allow water vapor to permeate through their walls.
Product Categories
Find the right drying technology to match your process and air quality requirements.
Compare the essentials
Refrigerated dryers suit everyday factory air. Desiccant dryers provide deeper drying for moisture-sensitive processes. Membrane dryers offer compact drying at individual machines and other points of use. Compare the dew point, air demand and running requirements below.
| What to compare | Refrigerated | Desiccant | Membrane |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical pressure dew point | +2°C to +10°C. | −40°C for standard deep drying; −70°C for more demanding processes. | +10°C down to −40°C. |
| How it removes moisture | Cools the air to condense water vapor, then separates and drains the liquid. | Captures water vapor on a desiccant, which is regenerated for reuse. | Passes water vapor through hollow-fiber membranes and carries it away with a dry-air purge. |
| Typical applications | General factory air, pneumatic tools and indoor production lines. | Moisture-sensitive processes, instrument air and pipework exposed to freezing temperatures. | Individual machines, instrument cabinets and smaller point-of-use air supplies. |
| Energy and air use | Uses electricity for refrigeration. The drying process does not require purge air. | Uses purge air, heat or recovered compressor heat to regenerate the desiccant. | Uses part of the dry air for purging. Basic membrane modules need no electrical supply. |
| Key selection point | A practical choice above freezing; conventional refrigerated dryers cannot deliver sub-zero pressure dew points. | Choose the regeneration method around air consumption, available heat and operating hours. | A lower outlet dew point reduces usable airflow. Size for the dry-air outlet flow after purge. |
| Routine care | Clean cooling surfaces and keep condensate drains working. | Service valves and filters, and replace desiccant as its drying capacity deteriorates. | Maintain upstream coalescing filters to protect the membrane from oil, particles and liquid water. |
Pressure dew point is the temperature at which moisture starts to condense at line pressure. Choose a target below the lowest downstream temperature and low enough for the process.
From requirement to selection
Your dryer needs to deliver the right pressure dew point for your process and handle the airflow from your compressor. The amount of air it can dry changes with inlet pressure, inlet temperature and room temperature. Use the model’s correction factors to check its capacity under these conditions.
Get Help Choosing Your Dryer →01
Pressure dew point tells you how dry the air is. Choose a target that meets your equipment needs and stays below the coldest temperature in your air lines. Drying beyond what your process needs adds cost.
02
Size the dryer for the highest airflow it will handle. Use airflow figures from your compressor data sheet, not just its motor power. If the dryer uses some dry air to remove moisture, allow for this extra air use too.
03
Record the air pressure and temperature at the dryer inlet. Include the hottest room temperature expected in summer. These conditions affect how much air the dryer can treat. Use the selected model’s sizing data to check that it can meet your needs.
Product range
Browse our refrigerated and desiccant air dryers in one place. Compare the series below, or send us your air requirements for help choosing a model.
RD Series provides air-cooled refrigerated drying for general industrial compressed air systems. Fifteen standard models cover 1-65 Nm³/min, with 6-10 bar working pressure, up to 60°C inlet-air temperature and a 2-10°C pressure dew point.
Airflow
1-65 Nm³/min
Pressure
6-10 bar
Pressure dew point
2–10°C
Inlet temperature
≤60°C
Air-cooled refrigerated air dryers with a brazed aluminum plate-fin heat exchanger, fixed-speed refrigeration with hot gas bypass control, and automatic condensate drainage. Choose from 21 models with listed flows of 0.6–150 m³/min and a pressure dew point range of 2–10°C.
Airflow
0.6–150 m³/min
Pressure
Min. 6 / Max. 16 bar
Pressure dew point
2–10°C
Inlet temperature
Norm. ≤42°C / Max. 70°C
Air-cooled refrigerated air dryers with integrated aluminum plate-fin heat exchange and fixed-speed refrigeration with hot gas bypass control. Choose from 13 models rated at 1–45 m³/min, with a pressure dew point of 2–10°C.
Airflow
1–45 m³/min
Pressure
7–16 bar, model dependent
Pressure dew point
2–10°C
Inlet temperature
≤50°C
The RUEGO DS-VH Series handles compressed air with inlet temperatures up to 65°C. Eighteen air-cooled models operate at 7–13 bar with a nominal pressure dew point of 2–10°C. All models operate in ambient temperatures of 0–38°C.
Airflow
1.2–100 m³/min
Pressure
7–13 bar
Pressure dew point
2–10°C
Inlet temperature
≤65°C
Check airflow and reference conditions, working pressure, pressure dew point, inlet and ambient temperature limits, and electrical supply. Include the unit and reference conditions when sharing CFM, SCFM, m³/min or Nm³/min values.
Complete air treatment
A dryer removes water vapor. Filters handle other contaminants, such as dust and oil mist. Choose them together to meet the air quality your tools, machines or process need.
Air treatment concept: refrigerated drying, desiccant drying and filtration.
Example supply layout with an air receiver before the dryers. Keep the separator and receiver drains working.
Compressor
With aftercooler
Water separator
Drain liquid water
Air receiver
With condensate drain
Pre-filter
Protect downstream equipment
For tools and machines that accept an above-freezing pressure dew point, refrigerated drying with suitable filters is often enough.
Refrigerated dryer
Remove water vapor
Process filtration
Match the air quality needed
Air to equipment
Tools and machines
Choose desiccant drying when the process needs a lower pressure dew point or air lines face freezing temperatures. The route below shows where refrigerated pretreatment can fit.
Refrigerated pre-dryer
Optional pretreatment
Coalescing filter
Catch oil mist and droplets
Desiccant dryer
Reach a lower dew point
Particle afterfilter
Catch desiccant dust
Final treatment
Match the process
Air to equipment
Point of use
A refrigerated pre-dryer reduces the water load on the desiccant stage. Pair it with a desiccant dryer designed for pre-dried air, with suitable desiccant media and controls.
Particles
Water
Oil
ISO 8573-1 defines separate purity classes for particles, water and oil. Set the required class for each, then verify the air where it is used. Food handling, precision electronics and pharmaceutical production should follow their process-specific air quality requirements.
Oil mist and droplets:
Coalescing filters protect the desiccant.
Oil vapor:
Add activated carbon when the process requires oil-vapor removal.
Microbes:
Use a sterilizing-grade point-of-use filter for aseptic processes.
ISO 8573-1:2010 classifies air purity; it does not prescribe one equipment layout for every industry.
US food manufacturing: 21 CFR 117.40(g) requires treatment of air introduced into food or used to clean food-contact surfaces to prevent contamination by unlawful indirect food additives. It does not set a universal dryer type or pressure dew point.
EU GMP Annex 1, sections 6.18–6.19 calls for defined chemical, particle and microbial quality for product-contact gases. Aseptic process gases need sterilizing-grade filtration at the point of use, with appropriate filter integrity testing and microbial monitoring.
Tell us about your system
Tell us your application, airflow and working pressure. Add the target dew point, temperatures and electrical supply where known, and we can review the dryer type and configuration for your project.
Not sure which dryer you need?
Describe where the air is used and what you want to improve. You can start the conversation before every technical parameter is known.
Before you inquire
A few practical answers before you choose a technology or share your system details.
That depends on how dry the process needs the air to be. Cooling and liquid separation remove condensed water, but additional drying may be needed to control the remaining water vapor.
Start with the required pressure dew point and the lowest downstream temperature. Refrigerated drying serves suitable above-freezing dew point requirements. Desiccant drying addresses lower dew point needs, with regeneration selected for the system.
Use maximum airflow with its reference conditions, working pressure, inlet and ambient temperatures, and the required dew point. Confirm capacity using the selected model's rating and correction data, rather than compressor power alone.
Check your process specification and downstream conditions. If the requirement is not known, share the application, air-using equipment and lowest expected pipework temperature for review.
No. Drying controls water vapor; filters address specific contaminants such as particles or oil aerosols. The filter types and grades should match the dryer and the process requirements.
Start with the application, flow and unit, working pressure and destination. Add temperatures, target dew point, electrical supply and quantity where known. The selected technology, size and configuration determine the quotation.
Provide the dryer series or model when requesting technical information. Installation requirements and maintenance procedures should be checked against the documentation for that equipment.
OEM & project procurement
Share your application, quantity and delivery market when requesting a quote. The dryer type, capacity and configuration shape the offer. For OEM or distributor projects, include branding, documentation and electrical requirements so available options can be reviewed for the selected series.
Discuss Your Dryer RequirementsSite conditions
Flow, pressure, temperature
Electrical supply
Voltage, phase, frequency
Project scope
Quantity, installation, destination
OEM requirements
Branding and documentation
Tell us which products you need and your requirements. Our team will help with selection and prepare a quotation.
Dryer selection support
Share your application and operating conditions so we can review a suitable dryer for your project.
Share what you know. If you’re unsure about pressure or airflow, tell us what equipment you use and we’ll help with selection.
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