Route: /engineering-tools/dryer-correction-factor-worksheet/ (proposed until route reconciliation). It does not publish universal correction factors and must never transfer a factor from one supplier, technology or product family to another without documented equivalence.

1. Purpose and Engineering Decision

A dryer catalogue capacity is valid only at the rating conditions stated by its manufacturer. Actual compressed-air inlet temperature, operating pressure, ambient temperature, cooling-water condition, required pressure dew point and other model-specific variables can change the usable capacity materially.

The engineering decision is simple: can the selected dryer process the required design flow at the actual project conditions while remaining inside the supplier's operating envelope and preserving an explicit capacity margin?

Mode	Primary output
Single-model check	Corrected usable capacity and margin at actual conditions
Required nominal size	Minimum catalogue rating needed after supplier correction method
Two-model comparison	Like-for-like corrected capacities with factor provenance kept separate
Sensitivity	Which project condition most strongly reduces model capacity
	Documented model, source table, revision, factors, operating envelope and result

2. Non-Negotiable Rule - The Supplier Method Governs

There is no safe universal correction-factor table for all compressed-air dryers. Even when two suppliers use similar labels such as inlet-temperature factor, pressure factor or ambient factor, the numerical factors and the way they are combined can differ.

If the model's correction method is missing, unclear or outside its published range, the worksheet returns INCOMPLETE / SUPPLIER CONFIRMATION REQUIRED rather than creating an engineering factor.

Prohibited shortcut
Use a generic internet factor table	Rejected unless the exact model documentation explicitly adopts it
Reuse a factor from another brand	Rejected
Reuse a factor from another dryer technology	Rejected
Interpolate outside the published correction table	Blocked unless the manufacturer explicitly permits the interpolation/extrapolation method
Assume factors multiply	Not allowed until the supplier equation is confirmed
Assume factors divide	Not allowed until the supplier equation is confirmed

3. Model-Referenced Dryer Selection Sheet - Required Asset

Field	Required entry	Evidence / control
Manufacturer / supplier	Exact name	Quotation / datasheet / manual
Dryer model	Exact model code	No family substitution without proof
Dryer technology	Refrigerated / adsorption / membrane / other	Model documentation
Rated capacity	Value + unit + flow basis	Published rating
Rated inlet pressure	Value + gauge/absolute basis	Published rating condition
Rated inlet temperature	Value	Published rating condition
Rated ambient / cooling condition	Value	Air-cooled / water-cooled basis
Rated PDP / outlet condition	Value	Published performance point
Required project flow	Design flow + margin policy
Actual project conditions	Pressure / inlet temp / ambient / water / PDP	Design data
Correction source	Document name, revision, page/table	Mandatory
Correction equation	Exact supplier method	Mandatory
Corrected capacity	Calculated	Traceable result
Selection margin	Corrected capacity - required flow	Pass / fail
Operating envelope	Inside / outside	Independent gate

4. Correction-Method Engine

The worksheet must store the supplier's calculation convention rather than hard-code one universal equation. Three common calculation patterns can be supported as selectable methods, but only after the model documentation identifies which pattern applies.

Supplier method	Engine expression	Use only when
Capacity multiplier	Q_corrected = Q_rated x F1 x F2 x ... x Fn	Supplier defines factors as multipliers on rated capacity
Required-rating divisor	Q_required_rated = Q_project / (F1 x F2 x ... x Fn)	Supplier defines factors to derate rated capacity
Mixed / formula-specific	Use supplier equation exactly	Supplier uses a non-product formula, lookup or staged correction

The UI must display the selected convention beside the result. A reviewer should be able to reconstruct the result without guessing whether a factor was multiplied or divided.

6. Rated Capacity Must Include Its Flow Basis

A dryer rating such as 30 m3/min is incomplete if the flow reference condition is unknown.

The worksheet must not correct dryer capacity and flow-reference basis simultaneously using undocumented assumptions. Flow normalization and dryer derating are separate calculation steps.

7. Operating Envelope Gate

Passing the corrected-capacity calculation is not enough. The actual conditions must also remain within the model's published minimum/maximum operating envelope.

Envelope item	Gate
Minimum / maximum inlet pressure	Actual must lie inside published range
Maximum inlet air temperature	Actual must not exceed published limit
Ambient temperature range	Actual must remain inside range for air-cooled units
Cooling-water temperature / flow	Must satisfy model requirement for water-cooled units
Maximum flow / overload condition	Must remain within supplier allowance
Specified pressure dew point	Must be achievable at stated conditions

8. Refrigerated Dryer Worksheet Boundary

For a refrigerated dryer, the published correction method commonly responds to inlet air temperature, operating pressure, ambient temperature or cooling-water condition.

Pressure dew point performance and maximum inlet-temperature limits remain separate checks. A corrected flow capacity does not prove the required PDP if the actual operating condition lies outside the model's performance envelope.

9. Adsorption Dryer Worksheet Boundary

For adsorption dryers, corrected capacity can interact with regeneration method, inlet temperature, operating pressure, required PDP and purge or blower duty.

10. Reference Test Case A - Multiplier Convention (Synthetic Validation Dataset)

The following numbers are a deliberately synthetic software-validation dataset. They are not a manufacturer rating and must never be used for equipment selection. Assume Example Model A is rated at 30.0 m3/min and its fictional validation sheet defines four multiplicative factors: pressure 1.06, inlet temperature 0.88, ambient 0.92 and PDP 0.95.

Q_corrected = 30.0 x 1.06 x 0.88 x 0.92 x 0.95

Item	Result
Combined synthetic factor	0.8153
Corrected capacity	24.46 m3/min
Project required flow	22.00 m3/min
Capacity margin	2.46 m3/min (11.2%)
Software selection result	PASS, provided the independent operating-envelope gate also passes

11. Reference Test Case B - Required-Rating Divisor Convention (Synthetic Validation Dataset)

Example Model Family B uses a fictional divisor convention for software validation. Project flow is 25.0 m3/min and the synthetic factor product is 0.78.

Required catalogue rating = 25.0 / 0.78 = 32.05 m3/min

A model rated below this synthetic required rating fails the validation case. The result demonstrates why the factor convention must be stored with the model source.

12. Reference Test Case C - Never Mix Supplier Factors

Supplier X and Supplier Y both quote dryers at 30 m3/min catalogue capacity. Supplier X's own documented method gives a corrected capacity of 24.5 m3/min at the project conditions; Supplier Y's own documented method gives 26.2 m3/min.

Candidate	Catalogue rating	Correction source	Corrected capacity	Decision
Supplier X - Model X	30 m3/min	X model sheet only	24.5 m3/min	Compare with project duty
Supplier Y - Model Y	30 m3/min	Y model sheet only	26.2 m3/min	Compare with project duty

13. Reference Test Case D - Capacity Math Passes, Envelope Fails

A hypothetical validation model calculates 28 m3/min corrected capacity against a 24 m3/min project requirement, but the actual inlet temperature is 52 C while the fictional validation envelope ends at 45 C.

Check	Result
Corrected-capacity check	PASS
Published operating-envelope check	FAIL - inlet temperature outside stated range
Final worksheet status	FAIL / SUPPLIER CONFIRMATION REQUIRED

The independent envelope gate prevents a numerically adequate but technically invalid selection from being accepted.

14. Required Capacity Margin

Capacity Margin = Q_corrected - Q_required

Margin (%) = (Q_corrected / Q_required - 1) x 100

The worksheet should not impose a universal spare-capacity percentage. The project margin is entered explicitly and should reflect growth policy, measurement uncertainty, seasonal operating conditions and the site's redundancy philosophy.

15. Dirty / Aged System Allowance

Dryer capacity correction and pressure-drop allowance are different issues.

16. Sensitivity Review

This is a decision aid, not a replacement for supplier data.

Sensitivity step	Method
Baseline	Use all actual project factors
One-factor-at-reference	Return one condition to the supplier reference value while keeping others fixed
Capacity recovery	Q_with_factor_reset - Q_baseline
Rank	Largest recoverable capacity first

17. Input Model

Input group	Field	Validation / note
Model	Manufacturer / supplier / model code	Mandatory
Rating	Rated capacity + flow basis	Mandatory
Rating	Rated pressure / inlet temperature / ambient / PDP	Mandatory where supplier states them
Project	Required design flow	> 0
Project	Actual pressure / inlet temp / ambient / water / PDP	As applicable
Factors	Exact factor values	Must carry source location
Method	Multiply / divide / supplier formula	Must match source
Margin	Project capacity margin	Explicit
Envelope	Published min/max conditions	Mandatory for final PASS
Evidence	Document / revision / page / table / quotation	Mandatory for factors

18. Validation and Guardrails

Condition	Required behaviour
Model code missing	Block final selection
Rated condition missing	Mark calculation incomplete
Factor has no source reference	Do not accept as verified
Factor outside published table	Block unless supplier method authorizes interpolation/extrapolation
Factor borrowed from another model/brand	Block
Supplier convention unknown	Block calculation
Project flow basis differs from rating basis
Operating condition outside model envelope	FAIL / supplier confirmation required
Corrected capacity <= 0	Block result
Required margin not met	FAIL / next model size or alternate configuration

19. Output Specification

Output	Display rule
Model identification	Always visible beside result
Supplier rating conditions	Complete source basis
Actual project conditions	Side-by-side with rated conditions
Factor table	Value + source location + method
Combined correction	Only according to supplier method
Corrected capacity	Selected flow unit
Required flow + margin	Explicit
Operating-envelope status	Independent PASS / FAIL
Final selection status	PASS / FAIL / INCOMPLETE / SUPPLIER CONFIRMATION
Warnings	No generic factors; basis mismatch; unsupported interpolation; envelope violation

Dryer Correction Factor Worksheet

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