Research was conducted to develop and evaluate a test rig/test method designed to quantify the capabilities of adsorbents used in commercial driers to extract short- and long-chain carboxylic acids from circulating refrigerant/oil/acid solutions under different temperatures and adsorbent water levels. The refrigerant/oil/acid solutions used in this study included the refrigerants R-22, R-134a and R-410A; naphthenic pale oil and pentaerythritol ester oil based on pentanoic acid; and hexanoic and oleic organic acids. The adsorbents used in this study included molecular sieves, silica gel, alumina, and a 50:50 mixture of molecular sieves and alumina. The optimized test rig and the acid capacities determined for the tested adsorbents are presented.

Units: Dual