In the drying of liquids other than those that are completely miscible with water, the higher the temperature,the more moisture the liquid will hold. This may result in a dryer much larger and more expensive than need be if the temperatures were held to the lowest practical level. Likewise, if the desired effluent moisture content is specified lower than is actually required, excess quantities of desiccants or special desiccant may be required to obtain requested results. The resulting equipment may be larger and/or more expensive than necessary.
If the liquid contains entrained water, the use of a separator, settling tank or coalescer should be employed to reduce the size of the drying equipment and also to prevent the possibility of desiccant breakdown.