Champion CDS Series Single Tower Desiccant Air Dryer – Point-of-Use In-Line (5–30 SCFM)

The Champion CDS Series is a single tower desiccant air dryer built for point-of-use drying, available in four capacities from 5 to 30 SCFM and delivering a -40°F pressure dew point. It is an in-line, wall-or-bracket mounted package roughly the size of a filter housing, intended to sit directly at the machine that needs dry air rather than at the plant header. An integrated 15 micron dust filter and a desiccant change-out indicator are standard on every model.

Each capacity is offered two ways: as the dryer alone, or as an F package that arrives with a modular Champion CFL Series Grade E high efficiency oil removal pre-filter already fitted. Select your capacity and configuration from the dropdowns above.

How a Single Tower Dryer Works

A conventional twin-tower desiccant dryer regenerates itself: one vessel dries while the other is purged back to atmosphere, forever, using a slice of your compressed air to do it. The CDS does not regenerate. Air passes through one bed of silica gel, the gel adsorbs the moisture, and when the bed is spent you pour in a fresh charge. That trade is exactly the right one at small flows.

Nothing cycles, so there are no switching valves, no controller, no purge exhaust and no purge air loss. A CDS30 passing 30 SCFM consumes 30 SCFM. A heatless twin-tower dryer at the same flow would burn roughly 15 percent of it on purge. On a single machine drop, the desiccant you buy over a year costs less than the compressor horsepower a regenerating dryer would throw away, and there is nothing to fail.

Choosing Your Configuration

If you are not certain what the air reaching this drop looks like, buy the F package. A Grade E pre-filter costs a fraction of what repeated desiccant changes will.

Model Selection Chart

Published weights are for the dryer itself. On the F models the mounted pre-filter adds to actual shipping weight. Ask us for a certified drawing before you commit to a mounting location.

Key Features at a Glance

• -40°F Pressure Dew Point: Far drier than the 35°F to 40°F floor of any refrigerated dryer, at ISO 8573-1 humidity Class 2.
• 5 to 30 SCFM: Four capacities sized to a single machine, bench, or branch line.
• Zero Purge Loss: No regeneration cycle, so every SCFM entering the dryer leaves it.
• Integrated 15 Micron Dust Filter: Keeps desiccant fines out of the downstream equipment without a separate after-filter.
• Desiccant Change-Out Indicator: Tells you when the bed is spent instead of leaving you guessing.
• Powder Coated Aluminum Bowl: Corrosion resistant and built for shop-floor abuse.
• 200 PSIG Maximum Working Pressure: Comfortable on high-pressure machine and instrument loops.
• No Electricity Required: Nothing to wire, nothing to control, nothing to fail.
• Modular Mounting: Ships with mounting bracket P/N C23433101 and modular connecting kit P/N C23428001.
• Optional Grade E Pre-Filtration: The F package arrives with the coalescing filter already mounted and piped.
• Champion Pneumatic Quality: A Gardner Denver brand, manufactured in the USA.

Shared Technical Specifications

Ideal Applications

The CDS is the answer whenever one drop needs genuinely dry air and a floor-standing dryer would be absurd. Typical duty includes spray painting and touch-up guns, plastic blow and injection molding air, laser cutting assist air, CNC air bearings and tool changers, dental and laboratory benches, air gauging and pneumatic instrumentation, printing and packaging equipment, small paint booths, powder coating, photographic and optical work, and outdoor or unheated piping runs that freeze in winter while the rest of the plant is fine on refrigerated air. It is equally common as a polishing dryer downstream of an existing refrigerated dryer where one process needs far drier air than the shop average.

Sizing and Installation

Size the dryer to the actual SCFM passing through the drop at your operating pressure, not to compressor nameplate horsepower. Keep inlet air at or below 125°F and system pressure at or below 200 psig. Mount the dryer vertically with the change-out indicator visible, and leave enough clearance below it to open the bowl and recharge the bed without unbolting the piping.

Install a coalescing filter upstream. On the F models it is already there. On a dryer-only unit, put a Grade E coalescing filter ahead of the inlet unless you are certain the air is clean. A properly drained wet receiver and a working drain trap ahead of the filter will do more for desiccant life than anything else you can spend money on.

Desiccant Life and Recharging

Desiccant life depends entirely on the moisture and oil load reaching the bed, so there is no single interval that fits every installation. Watch the change-out indicator rather than a calendar. When the bed is spent, open the bowl, dump the old silica gel and pour in a fresh charge from the matching CDS replacement desiccant kit. Each kit holds enough silica gel for two full charges of its dryer, so one kit covers two service events.

On the F models, change the Grade E pre-filter element on an annual schedule and keep its drain working. The element for CDS5F through CDS20F is a CF20EE; CDS30F takes a CF35EE. Both are stocked.

Why Buy from Air Compressor Store

Air Compressor Store is an authorized Champion Pneumatic distributor. Every CDS Series dryer ships with the full factory warranty, factory-direct freight, and lifetime application support from our certified compressed-air engineers. We will size the dryer, confirm the right configuration, and keep the desiccant and elements coming afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions

How dry is the air coming out?

-40°F pressure dew point, which is ISO 8573-1 humidity Class 2. For comparison, a refrigerated dryer bottoms out around 35°F to 40°F, and any compressed air line that leaves a heated building will condense at that dew point in winter. The CDS will not.

Does it use purge air like a twin-tower dryer?

No. There is no regeneration cycle, so there is no purge loss at all. That is the whole point of a single tower design at these flows: you replace the desiccant periodically instead of paying for purge air continuously.

How often do I replace the desiccant?

It depends on how wet and how oily the incoming air is, which is why every CDS has a change-out indicator. Watch the indicator. A well-filtered, well-drained drop can run a long time between charges; a drop fed straight off an undrained receiver will chew through desiccant. Each replacement kit contains two charges.

What is the difference between CDS30 and CDS30F?

Only the pre-filter. The CDS30F is the same dryer with a Champion CFL Series Grade E high efficiency oil removal filter mounted, piped and shipped as one assembly. On any oil-lubricated compressor the F package is the specification we recommend.

Do I need an after-filter?

Not normally. A 15 micron particulate filter is built into the dryer to hold back desiccant fines. If your process demands better than 15 micron downstream, add a Grade C or Grade E filter after the dryer.

Does it need power?

No. There is no heater, no blower, no controller and no solenoid. Nothing to wire.

How does this compare to the XCMLA modular dryer?

The XCMLA Series is a regenerating twin-chamber dryer from 3 to 177 SCFM that never needs a desiccant change in normal service but does consume purge air and costs considerably more up front. The CDS is the simpler and far cheaper answer below 30 SCFM when you are willing to recharge the bed periodically. If the drop runs continuously and the dryer is hard to reach, look at the XCMLA. If it runs intermittently and sits within arm's reach, the CDS is usually the better buy.

How long does delivery take?

Lead time varies by capacity and configuration. Call us with your model and we will confirm the current factory schedule before you order.