Specifications

Appendix C. Reusing Desiccant
Because desiccant is inexpensive, most users replace the desiccant instead of
reactivating saturated desiccant. However some customers wish to reactivate
saturated desiccant. To do this, care must be taken to prevent the desiccant
packets from exploding during the reactivation process. This problem is
caused by using too rapid of a heating process. If the heating process is too
rapid, water vapor is released too quickly causing too much pressure to build
up inside the packets so that the packets burst. The following methods will
prevent this from happening:
C.1 Recirculating Oven Method
The optimum situation for reactivation is to use a recirculating oven that has a
ramping temperature. The desiccant should bake for 16 hours, and the final
temperature should be 250°F.
C.2 Standard Oven Method
1. Bake at an oven temperature of 125°F for a couple of hours.
2. Increase the oven temperature to 175°F and bake at this temperature for a
couple of hours.
3. Increase the oven temperature to 245° to 250°F and bake at this
temperature for 12 hours.
C.3 Baby Food Jar Method
1. Open the desiccant packets and empty the desiccant granules onto a
cookie sheet.
2. Bake at 245° to 250°F for 16 hours.
3. Pour the desiccant granules into an empty baby food jar.
4. Place the open jar inside the enclosure.
C-1