Case studies · Speciality chemicals · Central India
Smart heatless dryer through peak monsoon: −51.7 °C PDP average on a −40 °C design
Speciality chemicals manufacturer, Central India · M-NX modular heatless dryer (M300NX) with TSE Control
- −51.7 °C Average PDP delivered (designed for −40 °C)
- 9/9 Readings better than design (none above −43.4 °C)
- 2.6–8 % Purge air (vs 18.5 % on the dryers replaced)
- ₹21.8 L Saved per year (at 8 % purge · up to ₹33.0 L)
The challenge
Monsoon is the hardest test a desiccant dryer gets: through June and July the air entering the plant is at or near 100 % humidity and reached the dryer at 31.7–36.0 °C, loading the bed hard on every cycle with no seasonal lull. The plant was running conventional heatless dryers that vented 18.5 % of compressor output as purge — air bought, compressed and then blown to atmosphere.
What AIRS did
- AIRS M300NX modular heatless dryer, 37 Nm³/min (2,220 Nm³/h), twin modular banks, designed for −40 °C PDP and commissioned on 19 May 2026.
- TSE Control with dew point dependent switching: each tower stays on line until the outlet PDP shows the desiccant needs regeneration, so purge follows the real moisture load.
- Performance read straight from the dryer's controller and photographed at the machine — each screen carrying its own date stamp and running hours.
The result
- −51.7 °C average PDP through peak monsoon, against a −40 °C design.
- All nine in-service readings beat the design dew point — the warmest was −43.4 °C, the best −58.4 °C.
- Purge cut from 18.5 % to a maximum of 8 %, with 2.6 % the best observed.
- 0.1 bar pressure drop on every reading — half the 0.2 bar allowed in the specification, worth a further ₹1.45 lakh a year.
- ₹21.8 lakh a year saved at 8 % purge (160 t CO₂), rising to ₹33.0 lakh at the 2.6 % observed.
What the performance is worth, per year
| Conventional heatless | AIRS at 8 % purge | AIRS at 2.6 % purge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purge air | 18.5 % | 8.0 % | 2.6 % |
| Compressed air vented | 411 Nm³/h | 178 Nm³/h | 58 Nm³/h |
| Energy a year | 395,751 kWh | 171,135 kWh | 55,619 kWh |
| Cost a year | ₹38.4 lakh | ₹16.6 lakh | ₹5.4 lakh |
| Saving | — | ₹21.8 lakh | ₹33.0 lakh |
Basis of calculation
Dryer rated flow 2,220 Nm³/h · 8,760 h a year · ₹9.70 per kWh · compressor 0.11 kWh per Nm³ · grid 0.71 kg CO₂ per kWh. Readings taken 4–22 July 2026 over 586 running hours; the commissioning reading is excluded from the average.
At a glance
| Dryer | M300NX modular heatless, 37 Nm³/min |
|---|---|
| Design PDP | −40 °C |
| Delivered PDP | −51.7 °C average, peak monsoon |
| Inlet air | 31.7–36.0 °C, saturated |
| Purge | 2.6–8 % (TSE Control) |
| Pressure drop | 0.1 bar |
| Replaced | Conventional heatless dryers, 18.5 % purge |
| Commissioned | May 2026 |
About the equipment · Book an energy saving assessment
Client name withheld under the AIRS confidentiality policy. References are shared on request with the client's consent.
More results
- Zero purge dryer at a tyre plant: −28.9 °C PDP on a −20 °C design, ₹28.9 lakh a year saved — Tyres & rubber, Maharashtra: ₹28.9 L saved per year vs heatless
- Two smart heatless dryers at a pharma plant: −40 °C PDP held, purge cut from 18 % to 8 % — Pharmaceuticals, South Gujarat: 18 → 8 % purge air