scope:

This standard covers driers utilizing solid desiccants (as distinguished from liquid anti-freeze solutions), designed for use in the liquid line (as distinguished from driers used in the suction line or low side) of all types of refrigeration and air-conditioning systems.

Applicability. This standard applies to driers for use in refrigeration systems using Refrigerant 12 Refrigerant 22 or Refrigerant 502 as the refrigerant.

Clean Ratings. Although many commercial driers have filtering media, the subject of filtration is separate and distinct from the considerations of this standard. Therefore, the rating of a liquid-line drier is on the premise of a clean drier and clean refrigerant.

Acid Removal. It is known that acid in a refrigeration system causes harmful corrosion. Various acids are found in and produced by the system. Many driers will remove acids; however, there is no positive knowledge at the present time as to what concentration of various acids is allowable, nor how to test a drier's ability to remove these acids. Therefore, while noting its importance, no consideration of acid removal is given in this standard at this time.

Purpose. The purpose of this standard is to establish, for driers to be used in the liquid lines of refrigerating and air-conditioning systems for all applications: definitions, minimum standard specifications; recommended methods of testing and rating; and recommendations for safety.

This standard is intended for the guidance of the industry, including equipment manufacturers, wholesalers, contractors, service engineers, and users.

As covered in this standard, the specifications and performance characteristics of liquid-line driers include tubing connections, water capacity, flow capacity, and safety recommendations.

Provisions. This standard provides a means of determining water capacity and refrigerant-flow capacity of a liquid-line drier at specified conditions. Such ratings serve as performance comparison points and furnish data for the selection of liquid-line driers for various applications.

Limitations. This standard does not attempt to reflect the complete performance of a drier over the entire range of possible applications. The Standard Ratings of water capacity and refrigerant-flow capacity are comparison points, and they provide a means of drier evaluation at the specified rating conditions.

Review and Amendment. This standard is subject to review and amendment as the art of the industry advances.