Recently, certain merchants marketing purportedly imported - brand refrigerated air dryers assert that, when compared to renowned domestic - brand, their products feature a lower - powered refrigeration compressor at the same air capacity, thereby being more energy - efficient. Moreover, they entice users to shell out two or even three times the price for their products by presenting energy - saving benefit projections. As early as a decade ago, the " Made in China 2025" initiative was introduced. At present, it's evident that China has achieved a leading position globally in many fields such as new - energy vehicles, consumer electronics, drones, photovoltaic power generation, high - speed railways, tunnel - boring machines, and artificial intelligence. The air compressor industry is no exception, with many outstanding domestic air compressor manufacturers emerging, and their product performance is in no way inferior to foreign brands. So, what's the current scenario in the refrigerated air dryer industry? Is the technology of renowned domestic - brand truly inferior to that of foreign brands? Before jumping to conclusions, let’s analyze the data together, because data reveals the truth.
The energy - saving promotion chart of a certain foreign brand :
According to the data in the table, the specific power of the refrigerated air dryers from this foreign brand is 85.7 - 137W/(m³/min), whereas that of a domestic manufacturer is 216 - 250W/(m³/min). With such a significant difference in specific power, it seems reasonable to question whether there is a huge gap in technology between domestic and foreign manufacturers. In order to verify whether the actual situation is as advertised, the technicians of EPSEA contacted the end users of a refrigerated air dryer with an air capacity of 21m³ of a certain foreign brand and carried out a series of actual measurements.
1. Model And Parameters On The Nameplate
A certain brand's refrigerated air dryer, with an air capacity of 21m³/min, is in service at the customer's end-user site and is rated at 2.4kW. The matching air compressor has a 75kW power rating and a nameplate exhaust volume of 16m³/min.
2. Measurement Result
Judging from the on - site air compressor system configuration, the air compressor dealer has upsized the refrigerated air dryer by one model. Theoretically, with such a configuration, the pressure dew point should be excellent. However, the on - site test data shows a rather unexpected result. For the refrigerated air dryer of a certain foreign brand with an air capacity of 21m³/min, under the operating conditions of an actual flow rate of 8.857m³/min, an inlet temperature of 46.8℃, an ambient temperature of 31℃ and a pressure of 0.7MPa, the pressure dew point is measured at 11.8℃. However, this brand claims externally that it can achieve a pressure dew point of 3℃. The actual result thus deviates significantly from what the manufacturer promised. Through calculation, the actual specific power of this refrigerated air dryer is approximately 2.4×1000÷8.857=270.97W/(m³/min), which is much higher than the specific power it advertised in the brand’s promotional materials.
3. Conclusion Analysis
From the results of this on - site measurement at the end - user's facility, we can clearly see that a certain foreign brand's claim that "the power of its refrigerated air dryer is lower than that of major domestic brands and users will save more on electricity bills than the cost of the dryer"is misleading. This is a total deception! They downsize the refrigeration compressor. Based on simple data, it may appear to users that the installed power is lower than that of leading domestic brands, giving the impression of enhanced energy efficiency. However, reducing the installed power also directly reduces the refrigeration capacity of the refrigerated air dryer, potentially impacting overall performance. The nameplate shows a maximum inlet temperature of 70°C and an ambient temperature of 50°C. However, during testing, under conditions of an inlet temperature of 46.8°C, an ambient temperature of 31°C, and a flow rate below full load, the pressure dew point was only 11.8°C. Since the factory nameplate does not specify the rated operating conditions, we suspect that the design conditions may follow the European standard, specifically the ISO 8173 A1 conditions (inlet temperature of 35°C and ambient temperature of 25°C).
The following are the comparison of correction parameters intercepted from the European manufacturer and EPSEA manufacturer :
European manufacturer A ：
European manufacturer B ：
The Gen 6 Super Cold Air Dryer of YOUQIAO ：
Europe has an average annual temperature consistently below 25°C, whereas there is a large north - south temperature gap in China where summer temperatures often exceed 38°C in most areas. This means that when selecting European-made refrigerated air dryers for use in China, one must consider the manufacturers' correction parameters. Compared with The Gen 6 Super Cold Air Dryer Of YOUQIAO under EPSEA, the YQR series has a specific power of around 210W/(m³/min). It's designed for an inlet temp. of 45℃, ambient temp. of 38℃, and a pressure dew point of 7℃. Under the same conditions, a certain foreign brand will have a worse pressure dew point than YOUQIAO. When focusing solely on refrigerated air dryer power, ignoring design conditions, refrigeration compressor power of YOUQIAO is higher than a certain foreign brand's. But the real indicator of energy efficiency is specific power at the same dew point under identical conditions. The foreign brand's specific power isn't better than YOUQIAO's. Clearly, its energy - efficiency claim is unfounded.
It is well understood that a more powerful refrigeration compressor in a single refrigerated air dryer necessitates a larger refrigeration system, resulting in increased material costs for the entire unit. To maintain the pressure dew point within specifications during hot summer conditions, we opt for a higher-powered compressor at the same air capacity. After all, for users, ensuring high gas quality is far more critical than achieving small electricity savings.
In conclusion, a certain foreign brand appears to mislead consumers through its promotional efforts. All manufacturers, whether domestic or international, should prioritize a "user-centered" approach. True energy savings come from maintaining product performance and quality; compromising effectiveness for the sake of energy savings ultimately increases operating costs for users. We sincerely hope this article helps dealers and users avoid such misleading "traps" in the future.
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