What is Dewpoint and How Low Should it be in my Compressed Air System?

Dew point is the temperature at which water vapor in an air system changes into liquid (water). Temperatures and dew points can change from hour to hour. Both are variable. Most plants and/or applications don't need a minus dew point of 30°, 50°, 100°F as some may believe. Very few require dew points that low. The lower the dew point, the higher the cost.

So why buy "more" than you can use?

Ambient temperature is the key to determining a safe, practical dew point. If the temperature is 70°F, a dew point on the minus side of the scale isn't necessary. A variable, "safe" dew point which can for instance, deliver a minus 30°F in the winter and a plus 60°F in the summer is the most sensible approach, and by far the most economical.

Van Air Systems offers a variety of dryers that can meet your needs. Installation of a dryer should be based on an analysis of a plant's individual needs. Van Air offers a free analysis of your air system and can recommend the proper dryer that will provide a safe dew point in both the summer or winter.

Trying to determine what dew point you need?

Dew Point Technical Report by Van Air Systems - download your copy today. Accurate dew point data is essential to engineers who design pneumatic components and process or plant air systems. A basic reference for this information is our dew point conversion chart. It essentially consists of atmospheric and pressure dew point temperature scales correlated to various pressures. The graph can be used to determine the water content of air when dew point and pressure are known. But it is most useful to determine the affect of pressure change on the dew point of a given air stream, and to find when condensation takes place with saturated air (100% relative humidity) under pressure.