Do Desiccant Dryers Work as Well as Refrigerated Dryers?

Desiccant Dryers

• Desiccants are chemicals, typically in the form of flakes or beads, that effectively absorb and trap water. Instead of using air alone to dry clothes, the dryer mixes compressed air with desiccants to draw off the water, cycling air through the desiccants until all water is removed. Silica gel, activated alumina and zeolites are all materials sometimes used to dry the clothes. These dryers are split into two pressurized containers to keep the desiccants from the clothes.

Refrigerated Dryers

• Refrigerated dryers work on the same principles as heat pumps. They take air, compress it, cool it, and then siphon off the water that condenses as the temperature drops. With enough cycles, the clothes eventually dry. This may seem a roundabout way of drying clothes, but it works well in small apartments where there is little room. However, desiccant dryers typically outperform refrigerated dryers in terms of speed and drying quality.

Specialization

• The reason desiccant dryers work so well is their design, which is intended for specific environmental needs. Refrigerated dryers can be used anywhere, and their efficiency depends largely on the size of the load. Desiccant dryers are made for situations in which the air has high humidity or when materials need to be dried in chambers with very low dew points, potentially for manufacturing purposes.

Energy

• When it comes to energy use, refrigerated dryers usually are more efficient. A company looking to save money may be able to switch from desiccants to refrigerated driers to reduce its electricity usage. The additional electricity consumed by desiccant dryers provides them with extra drying capacity, but for traditional applications, the trade-off usually results in savings with the use of refrigerated dryers.