Page 7 - Industrial Technology EXTRA 27th July 2020

unscheduled maintenance, costly repairs and even Using this patented AMT technology, water
system failure. vapour adsorption and desorption kinetics are faster
Tackling this issue has seen Norgren work with and more efficient, allowing sustained high levels of
the Metro Trains network based in Melbourne, performance with less pressure drop and often with
Australia, to develop an innovative compressed air less purge air consumption. Should the AMT media
dryer solution that enhances the operational tubes become saturated, there is no deterioration,
efficiency and ongoing reliability of Metro Train’s by-product or chemical reaction.
entire Comeng fleet of 68 six- carriage rolling stock. The tubes are simply dried during the
purge/regeneration process and returned to their
Premature failure original state continuing to function normally and
Steve Hill for Norgren says: “The Victorian removing the requirement for maintenance follow-
Government and Metro Trains started to review the up. In addition, the AMT structure is completely
performance of its fleet in 2016 as part of the fleet’s resistant to shock & vibration, can be mounted in
interior and exterior refurbishment project. The any orientation and requires no regular
legacy compressed air system was found to be maintenance. This also means there is no
ineffective in the way it removed water / moisture requirement for a post dust filter to catch the
from the air system. This was causing premature desiccant dust associated with traditional bead type
failure to the components in the brake system and rail dryers.
doors, potentially voiding the warranty on any
repairs.” Pressure drop
Working with Norgren, Metro Trains embarked While the initial trial went well, with recorded
on a six-month trial using six of the company’s AMT relative humidity levels reduced from 70% to
dryers to monitor the relative humidity levels. approximately 10%, Norgren was keen to develop a
Norgren’s patented AMT air dryer solution uses new solution which could also address the
Adsorbent Media Tube (AMT) technology. It is made challenge of pressure drop during the compressor
up of a high level of adsorbent and a non-adsorbing off-cycle purge.
durable polymeric binder such as polyether sulfone Norgren worked to develop a new AMT
to create a more efficient and reliable way of integrated twin dryer, resolving the problem of the
removing moisture from compressed air. pressure drop, as one side of the twin chambers is

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July 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA! • p7