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6.3 MOISTURE REMOVAL SYSTEM
Liquid droplets are removed from the air stream in the separator. As the air and
liquid mixture passes through the separator it spins, slows down and then changes
direction. This causes the condensate to fall out of the air stream and collect in the
bottom of the separator. The collected liquid is removed from the separator by a
solenoid valve. The solenoid valve is controlled by the microprocessor controller as
described in Section 6. For adjustment please note the following:
• To obtain the optimum time values for operation of the solenoid drain valve, set
the off-time to three minutes and the on-time ten seconds via the controller.
• After running the unit under full rated flow for approximately 30 minutes, verify that
when the solenoid drain opens, all of the accumulated liquid is discharged and then
a small burst of air.
• If a small amount of liquid and a large amount of air is discharged, decrease the on-
time setting or increase the off-time setting. If there is all liquid and no air has been
discharged, increase the on-time setting or decrease the off-time setting.
• The on/off time settings will vary according to seasonal operating conditions. During
the summer when more moisture is present in the air system a shorter on-time,
increasing the valve opening frequency, is required. A longer valve off-time may be
used during the winter months when moisture levels are lower.
6.4 REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
The Refrigeration System consists of all the components which handle refrigerant.
This is a hermetically sealed closed-loop system. Referring to Figure 1 and following
the phantom “REFRIGERANT FLOW,” refrigerant is shown leaving the evaporator section
where, in the process of removing heat, it is changed from a low pressure liquid into
a low pressure gas. This gas enters the suction side of the compressor where it is
compressed into a high pressure gas. The high pressure gas is cooled in the air
cooled or water cooled condenser section until it becomes a high pressure liquid. It
then goes through a permanent filter dryer that ensures the refrigeration system is
free of contaminants. A thermostatic expansion valve meters the refrigerant for
introduction into the evaporator. The refrigerant pressure is reduced upon entering
the evaporator where as it evaporates, heat is removed from the thermal mass fluid.
A solenoid valve in the liquid line eliminates the possibility of flooded starts.
6.5 THERMAL MASS CIRCULATING SYSTEM
The thermal mass fluid in a ZEKS HEATSINK™ dryer is continuously circulated in a
closed pump loop system. Referring to Figure 1 and following the dashed “THERMAL
MASS FLUID” line, the heat is removed from the fluid in the evaporator by the refrigera-
tion system. The thermal mass reservoir is sized to minimize refrigeration cycles
during reduced air load periods. The thermal mass fluid is pulled from the bottom of
the reservoir and pumped through the chiller, removing heat from the air and returned
to the evaporator. The pump utilized on ZEKS’ HEATSINK™ dryer is a maintenance-
free, quiet cartridge circulator pump similar to those used in residential water
systems. While the refrigeration system cycles on and off based on loading
conditions, the circulating pump runs continuously to maintain flow through the chiller
at all times.
