Inspection / maintenance plan for Silica gel tower

[rahim16]

Hi guys,
I am in process of writing integrity / maintenance plan for silica gel towers at one of our facilities. We have 6 towers for gas dew point control (4 at adsorption, 1 at cooling & 1 at regeneration at one time)
I need to know what are the requirements of maintenance of these processes units in terms of silica gel integrity & maintenance. For example which type of maintenance required and frequencies.
I have Buffer silica (FNG) bed (1.4 ft) and then HC-5 grade silica gel bed (20.8 ft) in each tower.
Appreciated if I know bead bed inspection & break through procedures with recommended frequencies.
Thanks
Imran

 

[PatBethea]

I assume these are heatless dryers (but I guess they could be heated). Call the manufacturer for their recommendation.

 

[chief]

Use a hand held probe to check the dryness factor of the air/gas at a convenient outlet . Usual reading is -40. If a log / record is kept of this, a trend can be established and a deterioration in Dessicant will be anticipated.Check if you have a Moisture separator of the cyclone type at the outlet of your compressors. This will remove the majority of moisture and extend the life of your driers, also check your drains are in good condition and are bled regularly if manual.

Offshore Engineering&Design