CFX® Stainless Steel
Heat Exchangers

The CFX Story

In 1994, ZEKS set out to engineer a heat exchanger technology specifically designed for compressed air dryers with three basic goals:

Durability – Provide long term performance in harsh environments
Efficiency – Minimize pressure drop to maximize system efficiency
Consistency – Ensure uniformity and repeatability of manufacture

After six years of research and development, our revolutionary Corrugated Folded heat eXchangers - “CFX” for short - began appearing in ZEKS HeatSink and Non-cycling refrigerated dryers. With this unique design, compressed air drying customers could now get the best of all worlds; an exchanger technology designed specifically for compressed air dryers that provided industry-leading durability with extremely low pressure drop using patented automated manufacturing processes.

Durability

Many heat exchangers used in compressed air dryers use copper as part of the design. While an excellent conductor of heat, copper is susceptible to corrosive acids found in most compressed air streams. Using 100% 304L stainless steel for the shells, internal sheet and welds, our CFX heat exchangers are among the most durable on the market for compressed air applications.

Efficiency

Given the high flow area of the CFX design coupled with no internal joints, CFX heat exchangers provide excellent heat transfer with very little pressure drop. By minimizing pressure drop, ZEKS refrigerated dryers make compressed air systems more efficient by allowing them to operate at more economical lower pressures.

Consistency

While the unique design of CFX exchangers offers durability and efficiency, the benefits of these attributes would be tempered if the exchangers were not manufactured consistently. Using several processes, some of which are covered by US patents, ZEKS makes these exchangers at our West Chester, Pennsylvania facility under rigid manufacturing and quality control guidelines. The result is a heat exchanger that delivers consistent performance from one dryer to the next.

Look for the CFX logo on all ZEKS HeatSink dryers above 125 SCFM, and on Non-cycling dryers 75 SCFM and larger.