One of the many tasks in assessing a compressed air system supply side is to analyze the air treatment system for appropriateness and efficiency. Most compressed air systems have one or more adekom refrigerated air dryer controller in place to remove the water vapor contained in the compressed air produced by the system air compressors. If there is no air dryer, the normally hot saturated air produced by the air compressors will cool in downstream system components, and condensed water will form in pressurized system pipework. This water may contaminate downstream air-powered tools and production machinery with rust, oil and pipe debris. Refrigerated style dryers are typically used in industrial plants to process general industrial compressed air that would be use by tools and pneumatic machinery. There are different modes of operation for refrigerated dryers that have different energy implications, especially when the dryers are subject to partial heat and moisture loading. In order to make a good choice in terms of energy efficiency, the purchaser should take care in understanding the operating characteristics of the different refrigerated dryer options available.

Air compressors consume the majority of the power required by a compressed air system; a well running system requiring between 18 and 22 kW of energy input per 100 scfm of air produced at a compressor discharge pressure of about 100 psig (kW/100 cfm is called specific power). Fully loaded adekom refrigerated air dryer controller specific power levels range between 0.6 and 0.8 kW per 100 scfm, or about 3 to 4% of the total system power.

Like air compressors, when dryers run at partial loading, the specific power of a dryer increases, reducing the efficiency of the treatment system. This effect can be seen if the CAGI data is analyzed for a given size of adekom refrigerated air dryer controller. For example, a 1000 scfm unit using a hot gas bypass system to control its drying capacity might start off at a specific power of 0.7 kW/100 scfm, but have its specific power fall to 5.36 kW/100 scfm at 10% loading. A thermal mass style of dryer, on the other hand, may start out at 0.73 kW and have a less pronounce efficiency decrease at lighter loads, with a final specific power of 1.67 kW/100 scfm at 10% loading.