Problem:

  • The need to improve the performance of, or replace, the desiccant used in air dryer applications at elevated operating temperatures (125-150°F/52-66°C)
  • Client’s application used desiccants to remove moisture from air. Ambient air at higher temperatures can hold a lot of water vapor, making the water more difficult to remove from the air flow
  • Pressure swings are used to regenerate the desiccant during normal operation. The desiccant is exposed to air pressurized to between 90 and 130 psi (6-9 bar) and air at atmospheric pressure
  • The desiccant needed to be compatible with pressure swing regeneration during normal operation
  • Solution needed to be at least as small as the current system, which had the footprint of a sheet of typing paper
  • It needed to be available in industrial quantities or be able to be produced using a scalable manufacturing process

yet2 Strategy and Role:

  • Scouted for materials across three broad categories: novel desiccants, novel materials not yet used as desiccants but with desirable desiccant material properties, and modified/improved forms of known desiccants.
  • Special focus placed on identifying solutions used or developed for industries outside client’s application.
  • For the first and third category, yet2 vetted targets based primarily on performance data, economics, and comparative studies when available.
  • For the second category, the goal was to determine feasibility in the application and move towards a quick proof of concept at the client’s labs

Results:

  • Five materials deemed promising
  • Four materials chosen for testing purposes
  • One material placed on hold pending results
  • The four being tested were sourced from all three of the categories outlined in the scouting approach