______ driers will remove moisture from the refrigerant in a system, but there is a limit to their capacity.

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Moisture in a refrigerant circuit must be removed to prevent ice formation in expansion devices, corrosion, and acid buildup. Driers accomplish this by using desiccant material that strongly attracts and holds water as the refrigerant flows through. This keeps the refrigerant dry enough for reliable operation. But the desiccant has finite capacity; once it’s saturated, it can’t remove more moisture, and water may pass through or cause problems again. That’s why driers are replaced or regenerated during service to restore their drying ability. A filter mainly traps particulates, not moisture, so it isn’t the right choice for dehydrating the refrigerant. An absorber or sorbent function is similar in idea, but in HVAC practice the moisture-removing device in this context is described as a desiccant drier.