Dryer for compressed gas, compressor installation provided with such a dryer and method for drying gas

A method for drying compressed gas, comprising the steps of:

• driving the entire hot compressed gas flow originating from a compressor through a regeneration zone of a dryer that is provided with a vessel with a drying zone therein, in addition to the aforementioned regeneration zone, and a rotatable drum in the vessel with a regenerable drying agent therein;
• rotating the aforementioned drum such that the drying agent is moved successively through the drying zone and the regeneration zone;
• cooling the aforementioned gas flow, after passing through the aforementioned regeneration zone and separating the condensate from this gas flow;
• subsequently guiding the concerned gas flow through the aforementioned drying zone for drying this gas flow for supply to a consumer network;
• directing an intermediate gas flow of dried gas, that is tapped off at the outlet of the drying zone only by means of one or more blowers that are provided in a tap-off pipe that connects the aforementioned outlet of the drying zone to the inlet of the intermediate zone, through an intermediate zone situated between the drying zone and the regeneration zone.

A dryer for a compressed gas supplied, comprising:

• a vessel with a drying zone and a regeneration zone therein;
• an inlet for the regeneration zone that is also an inlet for the supply of gas to be dried and an outlet for the regeneration zone;
• an inlet for the drying zone and an outlet for the drying zone that is also the outlet of the dryer from where dried compressed gas can be tapped off for a downstream consumer network;
• a rotatable drum in the vessel with a regenerable drying agent therein;
• a motor for rotating the rotatable drum such that the drying agent is moved successively through the drying zone and the regeneration zone;
• a connecting pipe that connects the outlet for the regeneration zone to the inlet for the drying zone;
• a cooler and a condensate separator incorporated in the connecting pipe;
• at least one intermediate zone that, viewed in the direction of rotation of the drum, is situated between the regeneration zone and the drying zone and which is provided with a separate inlet and an outlet that is shared with or connected to the outlet of the regeneration zone;
• a tap-off pipe that branches off from the outlet for the drying zone and connects to the separate inlet of the intermediate zone;
• one or more blowers in the tap-off pipe for effectuating an intermediate flow from the drying zone, through the tap-off pipe, to the intermediate zone,
• wherein the dryer is configured such that an entire flow of gas to be dried supplied to the dryer is first guided through the regeneration zone before flowing through the drying zone.