Drying: Large Dryer Series Simplifies, Makes More Features Standard

Conair’s new D Series of large desiccant dryers, with throughputs from 600 to 5000 lb/hr (272 to 2268 kg/hr), focuses on value and intuitive use, according to the company. Now standard features will be accessible to processors via the DC-C programmable electronic control, which Conair says it developed specifically for drying.

The standard DC-C Premium control system features a 7-in color touchscreen. The user interface’s features include: temperature setback; dew-point monitoring and control; real-time trending; seven-day auto-start/stop; a library of customizable resin-drying recipes; energy usage metering; audible and visual alarms; and Industry 4.0 and remote control capabilities.

Conair says it has enhanced the desiccant wheel system in the D Series, adding more precise rotational control for optimal desiccant heating, cooling and drying performance. The company says its desiccant-wheel technology provides greater stability and less maintenance than loose-desiccant dryers.

This release follows the 2018 introduction of a redesigned line of small and medium-sized portable dryers that offers throughputs from 15 to 400 lb/hr (6.8 to 181 kg/hour). The goal according to Conair: “continuity across the board so that buying, installing and using the dryers will be very much the same no matter what size dryer we’re talking about.”

Conair said in a release that it believes the standard D Series package of features will meet the needs of 90% of its customers. It will still offer advanced options for processors with greater demands. This new line of large D Series dryers configured for central drying extends Conair’s D Series products from the Model D15 all the way through to the Model D5000, for throughputs from 15 to 5000 lb/hr.

Customers that opt for the energy-saving Optimizer package, will receive dryers with a variable frequency blower drive, drying monitor probe, return-air dew-point monitor, volatile trap, and process filter monitor. These models also have the DC-C Optimizer control, which Conair describes as an augmented version of its Premium control that uses the same interface and 7-inch color screen. The company says Optimizer drying package is ideal for PET processors who need to manage high-throughput, high-temperature drying operations where energy-management can provide a quick return on investment.

Conair says customers can also pair the new standard control in the D Series line with its ResinWorks centralized resin-handling and pre-conditioning system. In this setup, a large D Series dryer can be combined with a ResinWorks sled containing multiple, temperature-controlled hoppers. The new control would allow a processor to manage the entire sled directly from the dryer.