Refrigerant Air Dryer Problems

What type and size unit ? What issues downline ?

Fridge dryers work by chilling the air. The water vapour condenses and drops out. The condensate is separated from the air and runs to the drain where it is dumped.

If the drains are blocked the water is going into your system; or if the chiller is not working, the water vapour is going into your system where it cools and condenses.That's why you have problems.

Check that the drain valves work. Are they seized, Blocked, frozen, power loss ??? If blocked, the water builds up and gets carried over into the system.

If drains are working but no condensate. Check chiller is working. Temperature gauge, suction pressure gauge ???

Like everything else you have capacity to consider. If you're feeding too much air (pressure) and aren't allowing the dryer enough time to remove the moisture it will pass through the dryer and on downstream. I'd check your settings and move them to their minimums for a test. I'd also check and make sure the refrigeration system is properly charged and functioning correctly. If the refrigeration system isn't working right it will still run and pass moisture laden air.

Hope that helps.

To my knowledge, most desiccants work in a hydrogen bonding fashion to attract the water molecules to a crystal lattice of the hygroscopic chemicals. This is why one can "dry out" a desiccant that has reached its limit by baking the crystals. The higher average kinetic energy can now break these hydrogen bonds and normal Brownian motion can scatter the water molecules away from the dried dessicant.

To answer your specific question, the small water molecules reside in the folds of the hydroscopic crystal. There is a limit to how many moles of water any single dessicant can trap.

Now there are many different types of air dryers. From my description you should realize that a dessicant type of air dryer has no water drains. I think you have a deliquescent type http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_dryer#Deliquescent_dryer of air dryer that has never had new hydroscopic media added.

But I'm just guessing here. You should notice now that there are different types of air dryers and you haven't specified which one you have. Actually you haven't clearly specified where the water is appearing in your system that is giving you problems. The only thing you've identified is that there appears to be no water at some drains somewhere in your system.

i don't exactly understand your question, but if you mean a drain hose running to an evaporation tray, the drain hose is eitherclogged or disconected.

if you mean internal water, you have a leak on the low side.