Air stream dehumidification or air drying using PermSelect® membrane air dryers can be accomplished very quickly and easily. Our silicone membrane air dryers can be used effectively to dehumidify your air stream in a simple and compact membrane dehumidification system. Because our silicone membrane hollow fibers are highly permeable to water vapor they are very efficient in transferring moisture out of air streams.
How do I dehumidify my air stream? Air stream dehumidification using PermSelect® membrane air dryers is achieved as illustrated in the figure below, where the humid air stream is supplied to a port at one end cap of the membrane air dryer. As the humid air flows through the lumens of the membrane hollow fibers, water vapor is transferred across the silicone membrane driven by the higher partial pressure of the water vapor in the humid air stream compared to the water vapor pressure outside the hollow fibers (shell side). A sweep gas or a vacuum can be used to remove the extracted moisture from the shell side as illustrated below. Alternatively, if the air is supplied compressed, the extracted moisture can be simply vented to the atmosphere.
There are many advantages to using a PermSelect® membrane dehumidification system to dehumidify your air stream compared to using conventional air dehumidification methods such as cold traps and desiccant dehumidifier systems:
- Maintenance-free membrane dehumidification system
- No moving parts compared to refrigerant or regenerating desiccant dehumidifiers
- No CFC gas and no refrigerant needed to dehumidify
- No desiccant needed so there is no need to replace or regenerate desiccants
- Compact and lightweight dehumidification system
- No power source is required and no heat is discharged
- Generates no liquid drain because moisture is removed as vapor
- Easy installation
- Quiet continuous operation
- Environmentally friendly
Contact an applications engineer, or call +1 (734) 769-1066 to discuss your particular air/gas dehumidification needs. MedArray provides its PermSelect® membrane modules for air drying directly to researchers, and to industry through original equipment manufacturers (OEM’s) who are interested in integrating air drying solutions in their equipment. We can also customize membrane modules to your specific application. Contact us to discuss your custom application.