Patent ID: 8689571

Claim:
A dryer for minimizing moisture entrained within a refrigerant used to provide a cooling effect to a temperature-controlled environment, the dryer comprising: a cylindrical housing defining a drying chamber; a desiccant disposed within the drying chamber for removing at least a portion of the moisture from the refrigerant introduced into the drying chamber; an inlet formed in the housing, said inlet being adapted to cooperate with a feed line supplying the refrigerant in a substantially liquid state to be introduced into the drying chamber; a first outlet formed in the housing adjacent a lower region of the drying chamber when the drying chamber is viewed in an operational orientation, wherein the first outlet is adapted to be coupled to a capillary tube and form a conduit through which at least a portion of the refrigerant introduced into the drying chamber and exposed to the desiccant is discharged from the drying chamber to be delivered to a first heat exchanger for providing a cooling effect; and a second outlet extending radially outward from a wall of the housing at an elevation vertically above a lowermost liquid level of the refrigerant to be achieved within the drying chamber while the refrigerant is being discharged through the first outlet when the dryer is viewed in the operational orientation, the second outlet being adapted to be coupled to another capillary tube to form another conduit through which at least a portion of the refrigerant introduced into the drying chamber and exposed to the desiccant is to be discharged through the another capillary tube and delivered to a second heat exchanger, that is different than the first heat exchanger, for providing another cooling effect, wherein a resistance to delivery of the refrigerant to the first heat exchanger is greater than a resistance to delivery of the refrigerant to the second heat exchanger, and the elevation of the second outlet relative to the first outlet balances a discharge of the refrigerant through the first and second outlets.