The air solutions business of Ingersoll-Rand (IR) has launched the ThermoStar range of refrigeration air dryers, which are said to provide an environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient method for drying compressed air. "Virtually every aspect of the ThermoStar dryers is aimed at saving energy from the R407C refrigerant, which provides up to 10 per cent energy savings over R134a systems, to the highly efficient drying process, based around a unique cross flow heat exchanger with four stages of water removal," the company said.

In larger dryers from the TS 110 model upwards, a refrigerant scroll compressor provides up to 21 per cent better energy efficiency than comparable compressors. 'Energy Saver' electronic controls also provide further savings up to 80 per cent in stand-by operations, yielding an overall 24 per cent energy saving in a typical 10-hour operating period (as calculated for the TS model).

Another energy-saving feature in the new ThermoStar dryers is the low-pressure drop experienced by the compressed air as it passes through the dryer, compared to competitive products. This, the company said, was due to the compact size of the refrigeration circuit which resulted from the combination of the R407C refrigerant and the cross flow heat exchanger module producing a system that was much smaller than equivalent R134a systems.

"The radical design of the new range of high quality, user-friendly air filters from the Ingersoll-Rand Air Solutions business offers proven filtration performance with the lowest pressure drop available for increased energy efficiency and filter lifetime," said IR.