Dry air requirements for a bead blast cabinet?

[boslab]

Compressors make a difference, had a hydrovane rotary compressor, delivered the wettest fart you could get, piston compressors are dryer, an aftercooler between the compressor and tank helps, tried insulation on the tank and lines, bingo, the air stayed warmer and cut down on the condensate in the lines, still an ongoing experiment but seems to be an avanue to explore.
Refrigerated dryers are costy but with inginuity and a bucket of ice somthing could be rigged im sure, havent tried that yet btw!
Mark

[RichR]

... tried insulation on the tank and lines, bingo, the air stayed warmer and cut down on the condensate in the lines, ...

Maybe I'm missing something, but all that does is to insure you get warm and possibly humid air.

[JoeLee]

In the land of the free(Nicaragua) we use an inline AC condenser in the breeze. As dry as a popcorn fart.

I put this air conditioner condenser to good use but it's not flapping around in the breeze, it's bolted to the block wall.
I put the moisture trap right after it. I have never had a drop of moisture get past it. I think there is about 50 ft' or so of coils and they are 3/8" dia.
By the time the moisture gets to the end of the coil it has condensed and caught in trap. At first I thought that the coils would restrict the air flow but it didn't.
I have no problem with my bead blast cabinet or pressure sand blaster.

JL...........

[winchman]

We don't have a drier or a filter on our blast cabinet, but we drain the water from our compressor tank at least once a day.

If the nozzle clogs, just put your finger tightly over the hole, pull the trigger, and the backflow will clear it.

We do have filters and desiccant driers on the plasma cutters, though.

[jep24601]

We don't have a drier or a filter on our blast cabinet, but we drain the water from our compressor tank at least once a day.

If the nozzle clogs, just put your finger tightly over the hole, pull the trigger, and the backflow will clear it.

We do have filters and desiccant driers on the plasma cutters, though.

Exactly the same here!

[JoeLee]

Draining the tank once a day doesn't solve the problem. As the compressor runs and the tank gets warm the moisture in the air vaporizes and passes through the lines weather the tank has been drained or not.


JL.............

[thaiguzzi]

First of all, a little eighth grade science reminder. Hot air holds a lot more moisture than cold air. Air coming out of your compressor is hot and wet. The water is vapor mixed into the air. A water trap will catch a lot of the water but it has to have come out of the vapor phase or it will pass right through.

Thus you have to cool your air, *then* trap the water. So the first problem is how to cool the air. This is best done with a proper air piping system or refrigerated air dryer. Both of which are massive overkill for a small bead blaster box.

metalmagpie

+1 on everything this man just said. And i speak from 15 years of commercial bead blast experience.

[JoeLee]

That's exactly what my coils do!!!
It's like placing the water trap 50 ft. down line from the compressor.

JL......................

[Boucher]

JL, what is your air conditioner condenser removed from. I would like to copy it.