Will This Work?

[Jerkeejoe]

I started with a ToAuto shoebox compressor, but I’ve quickly outgrown it. Decided to bite the bullet and upgrade to a GX CS4 after reading a lot of advice here.

My question is whether the pictured filter and molecular sieve are sufficient or if I should look at something different.

 

[PasadenaMike]

I have the same exact one and it works great

 

[PasadenaMike]

I use this https://a.co/d/4lpGttn

 

[kahu]

what's the difference in the sieve materials? 3a and 13a?

 

[PasadenaMike]

what's the difference in the sieve materials? 3a and 13a?

I emailed Target Forge and that was the recommendation the 13a

 

[rc4fun]

The # indicates the pore size and the letter is the structure shape.
The 3A is capable of absorbing water as are the larger sizes. Mainly you would choose a size to reject the desired liquid or gas.
For example 13X is used to remove water from ethanol.

 

[kahu]

That seems to be what I'm seeing... Is 3 larger than 13 or vice versa? That's akin to the micron size? Smaller catches more/lets less pass, but of course, that also restricts airflow, so it's a balance of how fast do you want your gun/tank to fill, versus how much more water vapor is blocked from getting through? I noticed it's re-usable, if you can get it up to a little over 1,000º for like 3 hours? I think I wouldn't be able to justify the add'l cost of a special-purpose furnace just for that, versus buying more media to replace it. . .

 

[kahu]

"molecular sieve is used to separate ethanol and water on a molecular level by adsorbing water into the 3A molecular sieve crystal while allowing the ethanol to pass freely. Once the molecular sieve is saturated with water, temperature or pressure can be manipulated to allow water to release from the molecular sieve in a process called regeneration. (~1,000º in a muffle furnace for ~3 hours)"

"3A molecular sieves are used to dry a range of materials, such as ethanol, air, refrigerants, natural gas and unsaturated hydrocarbons."

"For air separation processes, carefully synthesized 13X molecular sieve can be engineered to selectively adsorb certain gas molecules while allowing others to pass through, making it invaluable in separating and purifying gases on an industrial scale. Type X crystals are shaped differently from Type A crystals are tend to offer much larger pore sizes, about 9 Angstroms in diameter. Leveraging its high selectivity for carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, 13X effectively purifies natural gas and biogas, ensuring that these resources meet stringent purity standards for safe utilization. Moreover, in air separation applications, the selective adsorption capabilities of 13X come into play by effectively removing impurities from the air. Beyond gas separation and purification, 13X zeolite also serves as an invaluable asset in the drying of various gases and liquids. Its exceptional water adsorption capacity makes it an indispensable tool for removing moisture."