Abstract
Moisture-free compressed air is essential in many engineering and industrial processes, and temperature swing adsorption (TSA) dryers are widely used to achieve ultra-low dew points. However, scaling TSA systems from laboratory to industrial capacities introduces challenges that numerical models alone may not fully capture, including uneven airflow and heat distribution. This study addresses these limitations by experimentally evaluating three heat regeneration modes-internal heating, external heating, and compressed air heating-at pilot-to-industrial scale. The experimental data, validated against established numerical methods, assess dryer performance across flow rates of 1000–5000 m3/h, pressures of 5 × 105–10 × 105 N/m2, and feed air temperatures between 25°C and 45°C. The results show specific electrical energy requirements of 0.176, 0.342, and 0 kW/m3/min for internal, external, and compressed air heating, respectively. Compressed air heating also eliminates the need for dried regeneration air. Under typical operating conditions (35°C, 8 × 105 N/m2, 3000 m3/h), all three modes exhibit similar total energy and capital costs. However, compressed air heating provides the lowest operational energy demand, making it the most efficient option. This study offers practical guidance for selecting regeneration strategies and underscores the essential role of experimental methods in validating models and optimizing full-scale TSA systems.
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