An important aspect of the conventionally designed adsorption dryer is a long service life which offers the user many advantages. Longer life means fewer waste products, less material consumption, lower energy costs and longer availability, all of which have to be considered as benefits from the operation from the dryer. Optimum service life is achieved through selection of components of high quality as well as effective protection against corrosion. One should always consider the option of stainless steel materials of construction in the wet sections of the installation. Simple maintenance of the equipment and easy repair of the components used contribute to a long service life. This calls for high quality design and imaginative product development. However, long service life for such equipment is not only a matter for the manfuacturers of adsorption dryers and filters. The operators, have to contribute. Suction inlet conditions of the compressors at the place of installation have a far reaching influence on service life, likewise expert and regular servicing of the individual system sections are required. Even air treatment systems of optimum design become ineffective if minimum requirements of the dryer and filter system are not adhered to. Optimum service life of a compressed air treatment package consisting of prefilter, adsorption dryer and downstream filter is only reliably achieved when reference conditions are adhered to. When considering the service life of air treatment equipment, the generation of the compressed air is often overlooked. The compressor and dryer as a unit are only as reliable as the weakest link in the chain.
