Benefits & features Applications Gas filters Using DrysphereTM

Dynamic Adsorbents Drysphere^TM activated alumina and desiccant offers the best drying and regeneration properties for industrial liquids and gases on the market today.

 The ONLY activated alumina on the market that can extract and adsorb 36% of its own weight in water, which is 3 times more than the standard alumina product offered by competitors, 20% more than silica and 32% more than Drierite

Drysphere^TM is available as desiccant material and in refillable and disposable gas cartridges

Drysphere^TM is a new high technology, dust-free, spherical, activated alumina manufactured and designed to optimize desiccant performance. It is now available in a multitude of sizes from ¼” to 1/32nd” or 800 micron.  It  provides a superior solution for gas and industrial liquid dehydration.

Dynamic Adsorbents has built upon excellence in design and manufacturing by creating superior uniform alumina spheres demanded for the drying of industrial liquids and gases.

Drysphere^TM contains a dust free, spherical activated alumina manufactured as specialized desiccant agents that works through the process of adsorption and is designed for the removal of water, oil and other heavy hydrocarbons from inert gases including nitrogen, helium and argon. The superior adsorption is achieved by the hydrophilic characteristics, the design of the microporosity and the extent of the achieved surface area.

Drysphere^TM is designed to increase surface area by containing multiple channels and pores that dramatically increase the available surface area for physical and chemical interaction. It is provided inside the Drysphere^TM Gas Filter as the active drying agent.

Activated alumina is an aluminum oxide that is highly porous and exhibits tremendous surface area. Activated Alumina is resistant to thermal stock and abrasion and will not shrink, swell, soften nor disintegrate when immersed in water.

Surface area are in the range 345-415 . Because it has a higher capacity for water than Silica Gel at elevated temperatures it is mainly used as a desiccant for warm gases including air. These are designed for the removal of water, oil and other heavy hydrocarbons from inert gases including nitrogen, helium and argon.

What are the Features and Benefits of Drysphere?^TM

Dynamic Adsorbents Drysphere^TM is the ONLY activated alumina on the market that can extract and adsorb 36% of its own weight in water, which is 3 times more than the standard alumina product offered by competitors, 20% more than silica and 32% more than Drierite^TM. No other commercial media can remove as much water. It is the superior desiccant agent in the marketplace for the drying of industrial liquids and gases.

Adsorption capacity is defined as the accumulation of the solute molecules at the surface of a solid. This capacity is directly proportional to the area of the surface exposed and is depending on the solute partial pressure and the temperature.

Other features and benefits include:

SPHERICAL ALUMINA PARTICLE

Benefits:

• Easy to pack, very convenient to use

• Very permeable

• Suitable for use in lab/pilot/process

• Dry, dust-free configuration

• 1/4" down to 1/32” spheres (Sizes from 6mm, 3mm, or 1mm-3mm) smallest roughly about 800 microns.

DUST FREE

Benefits:

• Will not contaminate gas/liquid streams with particulates

• Suitable for lab/pilot/process preparation of dust-free, dry streams

Kinetic Properties
30 minute exposure to 97%
	Weight % Gain
DrysphereTM	3.5%
P2O5	3.0%
CaSO4	2.6%
Silica Gel	2.3%
Alumina	1.6%
Kinetic Exposure Tests
	Relative Humidity
Static @ 11%	12
Adsorption @ 58%	22
Weight @ 97%	36
Physical Properties
Abrasion Loss (wt%)	0.1
Crush Strength (lb)	30
Bulk Density (lbs./ft3)	48

HIGH CAPACITY

Benefits:

• Adsorbs 36% of its own weight, three times more than “standard” Alumina, 20% more than Silica, 32% more than Drierite

• Obtain drier samples, faster, for a longer period of time - reduces down-time

WIDE SCOPE

Benefits:

• Dry Gases and Liquids, use directly in HPLC solvent reservoir to keep solvent dry for constant baseline

• Gases: CO2 Acetylene, Air, Argon, Ethylene, Helium, Hydrogen, N2, O2, etc.

• Liquids: Benzene, CCl4, Ethylacetate, Hexane, Oil, Pentane, Transformer oils, Xylene, etc. 

• Dehydrate acidic gases and liquids without softening or breakage 

• Remove acids from various air or liquid oil streams, etc.

ADSORPTIVE PROPERTIES

Benefits:

• Cleans organics while it dries

• Preferentially adsorbs high polarity impurities

Applications

Drysphere^TM is indicated for use in the drying of industrial gases and liquids. Demonstrated industrial applications include the drying of liquids such as benzene, oils, transformer oils and xylene as well as elemental gases such as argon, helium, hydrogen and oxygen. It has a special indication in the purification of compressed air and C02.

Drysphere^TM is the superior desiccant for the following industrial applications:

1. Purification of gases and liquids. Water removal is necessary for efficient processing, storage and transportation of fluids

2. Drying of organic liquids such as LPG, butane, steam cracked liquid, aromatics, cyclohexane, gasoline, chloro and fluoro hydrocarbons and aromatic solvents

3. Drying of air and gases such as steam cracked gases, catalytic reforming recycle gas, natural gas and carbon dioxide

4. Desiccants which can be used in compressed air dryers include activated alumina, silica gel and molecular sieves. Compressed air dryers utilize activated alumina as desiccant agents to remove moisture from compressed air. The compressed air first passes through an aftercooler, air receiver and coalescing filter before reaching the desiccant drying site. At each point water is removed from the compressed air via drain valves. The compressed air enters the compressed air dryer and comes in contact with the desiccant in the desiccant chamber. The desiccant removes the moisture from the compressed air via adsorption. Once down steam of the compressed air dryer the compressed air’s dew point is generally – 40 F. (The dew point is the measure of the amount of water contained in the air). Particle filters downstream of the desiccant dryer capture any desiccant fines and dust before the compressed air enters production.

5. Catalyst for Claus conversion in sub dew point processes in the purification and drying of compressed air

6. Natural gas in production and compression plants – liquid petroleum gas, liquid nitrogen gas

7. Drying agent for aromatics, naphtha cuts and cracked gas in petrochemical industries
   
   Substances commonly dried with Drysphere^TM include:

   Gases

   • Acetylene Ethane Hydrogen chloride Oxygen

   • Air Ethylene Hydrogen sulfide Propane

   • Ammonia Furnace Gas Methane Propylene

   • Carbon Dioxide Helium Natural Gas Refrigerants

   • Chlorine Hydrogen Nitrogen Sulfur dioxide

   Liquids

   • Benzene Ethyl acetate Lubricating oils Refrigerants

   • Butane Gasolines Naptha Styrene

   • Butene Heptane Nitrobenzene Toluene

   • Butyl acetate Hexane Pentane Transformer oil

   • Carbon tetrachloride Hydraulic oils Pipeline products Vegetable oil

   • Chlorobenzene Jet fuel Propane Xylene

   • Cyclohexane Kerosene Propylene
                                   

8. Drying of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide: Uniform ball size (spheres of consistently standard sizing) are essential in high pressure gas dehydration where it is important to minimize pressure drop, such as in a packed bed. DAI's Drysphere^TM activated alumina, being carefully quality controlled, provides low pressure drops and in so doing minimizes channeling while liquids and gases travel through the packed bed adsorbent chamber. Uniform sphere design maximizes the ability to use the entire packed adsorbent bed to maximum efficiency

9. Purification of gases and liquids (removal of metallic traces, BF3, TBC, HCl, HF and fluorinated hydrocarbons).

10. Catalyst for Claus conversion in sub dew point processes.

11. Air drying (PSA, TSA)

12. Instrument air, supersonic wind tunnel, compressed air

13. Gas drying Air separation plants, inert and rare gases, Hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, CO2.

14. Natural gas in production and compression plants, LPG, LNG.

15. Aromatics, naphtha cuts and cracked gas.

Drysphere^TM Gas Filters

Refillable DrysphereTM Cartridge	Disposable DrysphereTM Cartridge

The Drysphere^TM Gas filter (dryer and desiccant) is designed to remove water, oil and other heavy hydrocarbons form inert carrier gases such as nitrogen, helium or argon. A mixture of Drysphere^TM, and an indicating desiccant are contained within the transparent Dynamic Adsorbent' canister. The Drysphere^TM desiccant will change color from orange to green with the absorption of moisture. The color change is readily observed through the cartridge body indicating a need for refilling.

The filters are offered only in the 200 cc capacity with the inline configuration, and is approximately 7" long by 2" in diameter. Both of these units are designed for a nominal flow rate of 5 liters per minute.

The Drysphere^TM cartridge in the refillable filters is easily refilled by removing the exhausted filler mixture and replacing it with the Drysphere Refill Kit, an inexpensive and easy-to-use premixed refill of new materials.

Using Drysphere^TM

Example for the Industrial Usage of Drysphere^TM

The following example is provided for the use of Drysphere^TM for petrochemical purification

Halogenated butyl rubbers were essential for the development of the tubeless tire. In the manufacture of halogenated butyl rubber residual amounts of isoprene and isobutylene monomer are also halogenated. When the halogenation is carried out in a solvent, the organic halides become concentrated in the solvent and ultimately the concentration of organic halides in the final rubber product increases. One particular halide produced during the manufacture is MDBCP (methyl dibromo chloro propane) which is highly toxic, potentially carcinogenic and causes male sterility. This can be removed by contacting the hydrocarbon solvent with an activated alumina such as Drysphere^TM.

While a wide variety of compounds will remove halides to some extent from a hydrocarbon stream activated alumina has been demonstrated to be the most effective adsorption medium. The hydrocarbon stream is pumped through a vertical bed of activated alumina. Halides can be removed from the liquid hydrocarbon stream in a single pass through a bed of alumina at a flow rate of one volume of hydrocarbon to one volume of alumina per hour. Increasing the temperature speeds up the rate of halide removal.

A superior method for removing the halides from process streams is by gas phase adsorption in a packed bed of activated alumina Drysphere^TM. The adsorption is carried out at about – 50 C to about 20 C. The adsorbed halides are stripped from the adsorption stage at about 100 – 400 C.

Another example for using Drysphere^TM lies in the production of methyl chloride and methylene chloride by the oxy chlorination of methane. The chlorides are recovered by gas phase adsorption in beds of activated alumina.

Under the proper operating conditions, the pore size distributions and surface chemistry of activated alumina is ideal for the adsorption of hydrocarbons. Dynamic Adsorbents, Inc. can help you in designing the ideal desiccant chamber design and surface chemistry characteristics for your hydrocarbon requirements.

To address industrial needs Dynamic Adsorbents has developed Drysphere^TM which is a novel, dust free, spherical activated alumina manufactured and designed to optimize desiccant performance.

What are the Sizing Recommendations for Alumina Sphere?

Spheres measuring 4-6 mm are recommended for vapor phase dehydration applications where one desires high water adsorptive capacity yet pressure drop must be kept to a minimum

Spheres smaller than 3 mm are recommended for liquid dehydration and other mass transfer limited adsorption applications

How can one tell when the cartridge is saturated with liquid?

Each unit has a built-in indicator system that accurately reflects the degree of liquid adsorption.

 Drysphere^TM Material Safety Data Sheet | Drysphere™ Brochure - English (PDF) | Shop Drysphere™ Online

Dynamic Adsorbents, Inc.’s Drysphere™ Alumina Answers Natural Gas Hydrate
Problem for Oil and Gas Drilling Companies

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Dynamic Adsorbents, Inc. PO Box 80402 Atlanta, GA 30366-0402  770-817-0123  Toll-Free:  1-866-314-SORB (7672) FAX:  770-455-4380 info@dynamicadsorbents.com