Sorbead Air WS is BASF's water-resistant alumino-silicate gel desiccant for compressed air drying: hard, spherical beads of 97% silica and 3% alumina, light brown to brown, in the 2 to 5 mm grade that BASF identifies as Sorbead Air WS 2050. It is the water-resistant grade of the Sorbead Air line. Where a standard silica gel can crack or shatter on contact with liquid water, the product data sheet rates this grade resistant to it (BASF's European listings call it water-stable), so BASF places it as a protective layer of 15 to 20% above a main bed of Sorbead Air R wherever condensate can reach the media, and lists it on its own where a bed is regenerated with humid gas. As a silica alumina gel it adsorbs water vapor on an internal surface of 630 to 650 m²/g, with an equilibrium capacity of 34 to 36% of its weight at 25°C and 80% relative humidity; BASF's sheets pair the two grades, Air R for capacity in the main bed and Air WS for the liquid water above it. BASF lists a typical desorption temperature of 120 to 150°C (248 to 302°F) and pressure dew points down to about -60°C (-76°F) in the dried air, the same figures it prints for Sorbead Air R. In Interra Global's silica gel line, the sSORB® Type A grades are not resistant to liquid water, and this is the water-resistant guard layer the family page describes; where a dryer runs heatless, activated alumina such as aSORB® is typically specified instead. Typical Chemical Composition: 97% SiO₂, 3% Al₂O₃ Typical Applications Sorbead Air WS is typically used for:
Sizes and Packaging
Sorbead Air WS ships in 55 lb (25 kg) poly bags, 287 lb (130 kg) steel drums, and 1,653 lb (750 kg) super sacks. Interra Global supplies it by the bag, drum, or super sack, with lead time confirmed at quote. A guard layer is sized against the main bed it protects, and Interra Global's technical staff work through that depth with a buyer who sends the dryer's charge weight. |
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