Braking performance is an important parameter of a vehicle, directly related to driving safety. Many car owners pay attention to the maintenance and upkeep of components such as brake pads, brake drums, and air pumps when maintaining their vehicles, but often overlook the drying tank.

Little did they know that once the drying tank malfunctions, it is likely to directly lead to vehicle braking failure, causing serious consequences. Therefore, maintaining the drying tank well is of utmost importance in the air brake system.

Today, Daro Axle summarized some knowledge related to drying tanks and briefly shared it with everyone.

1. The function of the drying tank

As the name suggests, the main function of a drying tank is to dry and filter, connected between the air compressor and the air storage cylinder, adsorbing moisture from the compressed air and keeping it in a dry state.

We all know that the air brake system mainly relies on air, but the presence of water vapor in the air is difficult to avoid, especially when the air humidity is high, compressed water vapor will become liquid water, which enters various parts of the brake system through pipelines, affecting the performance and service life of rubber products such as sensor joints and pump valves, leading to air leakage in the brake system, inability to fill the air storage tank, and abnormal braking; When the temperature is low, water freezes in the braking system, which can lead to pipeline icing, inability to open the pump valve, and other phenomena, leading to brake failure, which is very dangerous. Therefore, a drying tank is essential.

2. Composition and structure of the drying tank

The drying tank mainly consists of several parts, including the shell, drying cylinder, pressure regulating valve, exhaust valve, one-way valve, and heater.

The shell is generally designed with one air inlet and two air outlets;

The drying cylinder is sealed and installed on the upper end of the shell, with molecular sieve desiccant inside, mainly responsible for water absorption and impurity filtration;

The heater is designed with a heating rod inside, which can heat the dryer;

A one-way valve is installed in one of the air outlets to prevent dry gas from flowing back;

The pressure regulating valve and exhaust valve cooperate to complete the process of automatic pressure regulation, unloading and exhaust.

3. Working principle of drying tank

The working principle of the drying tank is relatively simple. When compressed air enters the inner chamber from the outer chamber of the drying tank, the moisture is absorbed by the molecular sieve desiccant, achieving the purpose of drying.

Molecular sieve desiccants are like sponges, which cannot continue to work after being filled with water. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the moisture in them, which is also one of the reasons why a heater must be installed on the drying tank, mainly used for heating and dehumidification; In addition, when the external temperature drops, the heater can also play a role in preventing internal moisture from freezing in the system.

4. Replacement frequency of drying tanks

The replacement frequency of the drying tank generally needs to be determined based on the working time of the vehicle, the operating environment of the vehicle, and the quality of the drying tank. Generally, it needs to be replaced approximately once every 1-2 years.

Of course, car owners can also use some methods to determine whether the drying tank has reached the stage where it needs to be replaced: if the oil pollution under the exhaust port is severe, it indicates that the molecular sieve desiccant has been heavily polluted; If there is no exhaust action or water vapor discharge from the exhaust port, it indicates that the drying tank may have failed; If the air storage cylinder farthest from the air compressor can discharge water, it indicates that the drying tank needs to be replaced.