JP2009505716A - Laundry dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

  A laundry dryer having a perforated rotating drum 1 for storing textiles washed with a washing machine using water, a device 13 for heating an air flow for drying the textiles, and the heated air passing through the rotating drum 1 And a device 6 for circulating the gas. The dryer also includes a circuit 7 for recirculating moisture-containing air exiting the rotating drum 1 and a unit 8 for condensing water vapor contained in the recirculated air. The condensing unit is in communication with a cooling unit 10 that removes the heat of condensation, and a heat exchange device 11 is provided to transfer the heat dissipated by the cooling unit 10 to a dry air stream exiting the condensing unit 8.

Description

  The present invention relates to household and commercial washing machine sectors, and more particularly to machines for drying textile products such as clothing, household linens, fabrics, etc. after washing with a washing machine using water. It is.

  A conventional dryer consists of a main part including a perforated drum, and a batch of washed textiles that need to be dried from a door is placed in the drum. The drum is rotated by a motor through the transmission. Hot air passing through the batch is forced to circulate by a fan and an air heating system. The air heating system includes one of a set of electric heating elements, a set of steam heating means, and a gas burner. The air circuit is equipped with a filter, which protects the fan from the fibers generated from the batch, and the fibers are accompanied by water vapor extracted from the batch, and in the case of gas heaters, by combustion fumes. This prevents the exhaust pipe from being discharged from the dryer. Conventional dryers are also equipped with systems that control operating parameters such as temperature, drying time, residual humidity, and sometimes drum rotation speed.

  The working principle behind conventional dryers was to circulate hot air throughout the batch while constantly moving the batch. Hot air evaporates moisture as it moves between batches. Steam is extracted from the batch by forced hot air circulation and discharged to the outside of the dryer. As a result, the residual humidity in the batch gradually decreases and finally the batch is completely dried. As described above, in the conventional dryer, drying is performed by heating the air continuously drawn from the external environment and passing it through the clothing, and the air is then-the water vapor extracted from the clothing. Together-discharged into the external environment using expensive and complex piping systems. However, this plumbing system in some cases requires special approval from local authorities and / or building managers, while in others it requires installation permission.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a laundry dryer that does not require the air used in the drying process to be discharged outside the dryer and therefore does not require any expensive exhaust system for work.

  This object has been achieved by the laundry dryer according to the invention. A laundry dryer according to the present invention comprises a perforated rotating drum having a device for heating an air flow and a device for circulating heated air passing through the rotating drum, for storing textiles washed by a washing machine using water. Is included. The dryer also includes a circuit for recirculating the moisture-containing air exiting the rotating drum and a unit for condensing the moisture contained in the recirculated air. The condensing unit is connected to a cooling unit for removing heat of condensation, and is provided with a heat exchanging device that transfers heat released from the cooling unit to a dry air stream coming out of the condensing unit.

Thus, in the case of the dryer according to the present invention, the air and water vapor coming out of the drum are not discharged outside the dryer, but are returned to the drum inlet via the recirculation circuit. The air is forcibly passed through the finned portion cooled by the cooling unit. Thereby, almost all the water vapor contained in the air is condensed, and the condensed water is discharged from the discharge pipe. The dried air passes through the second finned portion, which serves as a heat pump in that the dried air is heated by excess heat released by the cooling unit. Dry air is preheated as a result of this heating, so that much of the energy that would otherwise be lost can be recovered. This preheated air is then passed through another heating unit, such as an electric or steam heating device, to the operating temperature required for the drying cycle and then sent to the drum.
The features and advantages of the laundry dryer according to the invention will become more apparent from one of the examples described below. The embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings are merely examples and do not limit the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a perforated rotating drum is indicated by reference numeral 1, and a batch of textiles that needs to be dried and that has been washed in a washing machine using water is placed in the drum. The rotary drum 1 is connected to a motor (not shown) and has a drying air inlet 2 and a drying air outlet 3 connected to an exhaust pipe 4, and an air flow is accompanied in the exhaust pipe. An air filter 5 and a fan 6 for removing fibers are arranged in series. The moisture-containing air is conveyed to the air condensing unit 8 by the recirculation pipe 7 communicating with the exhaust pipe 4, where the water vapor is condensed, and the resulting water is recovered or discarded via the drain 9. The condensing unit 8 is connected to a cooling unit 10, which absorbs the heat of condensation and then dissipates the heat in reverse, and the heat is transferred to the air by a heat exchanger 11 made up of finned surfaces of the cooling unit 10, for example. Used for preheating. The air is then preheated by flowing along the finned surface after exiting the condensation unit 8.

The preheated air is sent to the heating unit 13 through the heating tube 12 and heated to the working temperature necessary for the drying cycle. The heating unit is preferably an electric heating type or a steam heating type. The air heated in this way is finally fed into the rotary drum 1 from the air inlet 2.
The operating parameters of the various parts of the dryer are automatically controlled by a programmable control unit 14. In particular, the control unit 14 can control the rotational speed of the rotating drum 1, the power of the fan 6, the inlet and outlet temperatures of the heating unit 13, and the operating parameters of the cooling unit 10.

The continuous collection and recycling of the air stream not only increases the drying efficiency of the dryer, but also significantly reduces its energy consumption, which is fully beneficial to user productivity. The overall recycling of the air and the most effective use of the cooling unit 10 can shorten the duration of the drying cycle, thereby improving productivity and reducing operating costs. It should also be noted that when a water-cooled type is used instead of an air-cooled type cooling unit, the resulting hot water (which reaches approximately 40 ° C.) is washed outside the drying drum, for example in the same room. Can be used as hot water for machines.
Preference is given to using a multiple filtration system, for example a two-filter system, which can restrain fibers and dust removed from the batch and prevent clogging of the piping and especially the condensing unit with the impurities. Is done. Thus, while the efficiency of the dryer is guaranteed by the maintenance of the filter, maintenance in the piping is no longer necessary.

The dryer according to the present invention is equipped with a cooling unit that collects all the air flow and condenses the extracted steam from the batch, and is superior to the conventional dryers currently available in the commercial and household equipment markets. Has the advantage of
In particular, in the dryer according to the present invention, installation costs and equipment costs are reduced. This is because the closed circuit drying system of the dryer does not require concrete construction (masonry construction) for installation, or does not require an air suction and / or suction system, which is a waste of cost. When using a suction and / or suction system, not only is it a cost issue, but it is also difficult to find a suitable space for the drying operation.
Furthermore, the dryer according to the present invention does not need to be approved by the building manager and / or owner, so it is subject to the installation of a room that does not allow waste discharge to the outside, or an expensive fume and gas discharge system. It can be installed in a room.
The dryer according to the invention should also be used by users who are not qualified to install a gas dryer or who need to significantly increase the power requirements when installing a dryer with an electric heating system. Can do.

  Due to the preheating of the air by the finned surface 11 using the heat dissipation of the cooling unit 10, the required facility electrical energy and energy consumption are considerably reduced. The reduction in required equipment power not only saves fixed costs on the energy bill, but also makes it easier to find suitable space in areas where the maximum power available for non-business use is limited. It should also be noted that since the water temperature is raised in the cooling circuit of the cooling unit, the water is heated simultaneously while the dryer is working. In this case, this hot water can be stored in a tank as appropriate and used for another work, and it is not necessary to consume another energy. For example, water generated during the drying cycle of the dryer can be used for pre-washing and washing cycles in a washing machine installed in the same space, thereby achieving significant energy savings within the entire work cycle. .

The dryer according to the invention has the same overall productivity as a conventional dryer, so the productivity per square meter is equal, which is a very important factor for users with limited available space.
The reduction in equipment and operating costs can bring considerable economic benefits to the user, combined with a reduction in the duration of the drying cycle.
The dryer according to the present invention can replace widely used conventional systems that have the potential danger of using gas, resulting in the prevention of fumes and gas emissions that can contaminate the external atmosphere. At the same time, the environmental load is reduced due to the significant reduction in energy consumption.

Finally, it is worth noting that the opportunity to eliminate a drying system that uses gas is highly desirable for users' health benefits and environmental protection. This is because a dryer using gas works with a dry cleaning system using tetrachlorethylene. In fact, if the flame of a gas dryer burner accidentally comes into contact with tetrachlorethylene vapor (even at very low concentrations), there is a very significant risk of generating gaseous hydrochloric acid and exposing the user to it.
The laundry dryer according to the present invention can be modified and / or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The flowchart which shows the laundry drying process of the dryer by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rotating drum 2 Air inlet for drying 3 Air outlet for drying 4 Exhaust pipe 5 Air filter 6 Fan 7 Recirculation pipe 8 Condensing unit 9 Drain 10 Cooling unit 11 Heat exchanger 12 Heating pipe 13 Heating unit 14 Programmable control device

Claims (6)

A laundry dryer, a perforated rotary drum (1) for storing textiles washed in a water-based washing machine, a device (13) for heating the air flow for drying, and the rotary drum (1) In the type comprising the device (6) for circulating the heated air
The laundry dryer also has a circuit (7) for recirculating moisture-containing air from the rotating drum;
A unit (8) for condensing water vapor contained in the recirculated air stream, a unit (8) also communicating with a cooling unit (10) for removing heat of condensation;
A laundry dryer further comprising a heat exchange device (11) provided to transfer the heat radiation of the cooling unit (10) to the dried air stream coming out of the condensing unit (8).   The dryer according to claim 1, wherein the cooling unit (10) includes a heated finned surface along which air from the water vapor condensing unit flows.   The heating device (13) for drying air and the heat exchange device (11) for preheating the air are installed in an air heating pipe located downstream of the recirculation circuit (7) and the condensing unit (8). The dryer according to claim 1 or 2.   The dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heating device (13) is an electric heating type.   The dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heating device (13) is a steam heating type.   6. A dryer according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a programmable control unit for adjusting the operating parameters of the drying cycle.

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