ZEKS CFX NC Series, Technical Manual

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6. PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
6.1 INTRODUCTION
ZEKS Non-Cycling dryers remove moisture from compressed air by cooling the air
temperature to 36° (2.2°C). This causes vapors to condense into liquid droplets
which can then be easily removed from the air. The major systems of the dryer which
contribute to its operation are the Air System, the Moisture Removal System, the
Refrigeration System and the Controls. The following paragraphs describe each of
the systems in greater detail.
6.2 AIR SYSTEM
The Air System consists of the dryer components which are in contact with the
compressed air. Referring to Figure 1 and following the bold “
AIR FLOW
,” hot saturated
air from the compressor enters the precooler/reheater where the air temperature is
reduced prior to entering the chiller by the cool air exiting the air/moisture separator.
This precooling allows for the use of a smaller refrigeration system. The air then
goes into the chiller section where it is further cooled to the desired dew point by a
thermal mass fluid. The temperature of the thermal mass fluid is maintained by the
refrigeration circuit and controls. The air continues to the separator where moisture is
removed, thereby, allowing the cool, dry air to return to the precooler/reheater to be
heated by the incoming moist hot air. The air exiting the “reheater” portion of the
dryer should be approximately 15°- 20°F lower than the inlet air temperature based
on standard conditions at full rated flow.
FIGURE 1
FLOW DIAGRAM