What Is a Drain Separator?
A drain separator is a device that separates and eliminates condensate, which is water condensed from compressed air and steam after the air loses heat. It is also called a brackish water separator.
There are two types of condensate separators: the in-line type, which is incorporated between the compressor and piping, and the trap type, which eliminates condensate flowing into the trap from branch pipes by attaching an obstruction plate or the like in the piping.
The most famous in-line type of drain separator is the cyclone separator, which uses the centrifugal force of high-speed rotation to separate suspended condensate contained in the air, which is difficult to remove.
Applications of Drain Separators
Drain separators are used in air conditioning equipment and various industrial facilities.
Specifically, in refrigeration dryers, drain separators are installed immediately before the dryer so that only compressed air enters the dryer, thereby reducing the load on the heat exchanger.
Also, when used for roughing in the first stage of an air filter, the pressure loss can be reduced.
In refrigerated air dryers, if the drain trap fails to discharge, moisture can often escape into the airline.
In such cases, a super cyclone separator can be installed after the air dryer to provide a functional solution and reduce the load on the air filter.
In addition, if a drain separator is connected just before the rising edge of the piping, water and water droplets can be efficiently separated.
If the drain separator is installed just before the terminal pneumatic unit, condensate may be generated in the piping when the secondary compressed air discharged from the super cyclone separator is cooled, resulting in water coming out of the terminal.
Principle of Drain Separators
It is impossible to avoid condensate generation from compressed air systems, since water and moisture are part of the atmosphere.
During the compression process, the air is continuously heated. It is then cooled through hoses, valves, and piping.
As it approaches ambient temperature (approach), the vapor condenses into a liquid that can be removed by mechanical separation. As the air is cooled further, more condensate is produced.
Moisture is not necessarily the only undesirable substance for the process.
In compressed air, there can also be lubricating oil spilled from oil-lubricated air compressors, atmospheric corrosive gases inhaled by air compressors, aerosols and vapors, solid particles and rust from pipe systems and pressure vessels, solid particles inhaled from the air by the compressor, and so on. Removing most of these impurities from compressed air is critical to the process.
Cyclonic drain separators utilize a centrifugal separation action to force the condensate out of the compressed air. As it rotates, the condensate binds to the walls of the centrifugal separator.
The condensate is removed from the process system by the drain separator.