EP2397064A1 - Method and device for drying for a drying or washing/drying machine - Google Patents

Method and device for drying for a drying or washing/drying machine Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2397064A1
EP2397064A1 EP11170071A EP11170071A EP2397064A1 EP 2397064 A1 EP2397064 A1 EP 2397064A1 EP 11170071 A EP11170071 A EP 11170071A EP 11170071 A EP11170071 A EP 11170071A EP 2397064 A1 EP2397064 A1 EP 2397064A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
drying
hygroscopic material
container
machine
air
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP11170071A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Luca Bossi
Annalisa Ciarletta
Leonardo Arteconi
Paolo Faraldi
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Whirlpool EMEA SpA
Original Assignee
Indesit Co SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Indesit Co SpA filed Critical Indesit Co SpA
Publication of EP2397064A1 publication Critical patent/EP2397064A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
    • A47L15/42—Details
    • A47L15/48—Drying arrangements
    • A47L15/481—Drying arrangements by using water absorbent materials, e.g. Zeolith
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
    • D06F58/20—General details of domestic laundry dryers 
    • D06F58/24—Condensing arrangements

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method for drying objects in a drying or washing/drying machine, as well as to a device implementing said method.
  • drying or washing/drying machine generally refers, in the present description and in the appended claims, lither to dishwashing machines having a drying function, as well as to clothes dryers and washing/drying machines.
  • patent EP358279 teaches to dry crockery by having it lapped by a volume of dry air.
  • the air volume is dried by having it lap a regenerable hygroscopic material, which absorbs the humidity of the air.
  • This patent teaches how to regenerate (i.e. to dry) the hygroscopic material by subjecting it to a temperature increase caused by electric resistors heating it up, so that it yields the absorbed humidity and is then ready for a new cycle.
  • regeneration refers to the release of humidity from the hygroscopic material, so that the latter can become dry again.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device for drying objects in a drying or washing/drying machine which can overcome these and other drawbacks.
  • the present invention relates to a method for drying objects in a drying or washing/drying machine and a device implementing said method.
  • the idea underlying of the present invention is to regenerate the hygroscopic material by subjecting it to a pressure which is lower than the atmospheric pressure, i.e. a pressure lower than 1 bar.
  • the energy consumption of a pump or a compressor used for reducing the pressure is significantly lower than that of an electric resistor.
  • the method and the device described hereafter can be used or implemented, in general, in any type of machine equipped with a drying function, whether for treating laundry (such as washing/drying machines, clothes dryers and the like) or for treating crockery (such as dishwashers).
  • a drying function whether for treating laundry (such as washing/drying machines, clothes dryers and the like) or for treating crockery (such as dishwashers).
  • FIG. 1 there is shown a basic configuration of a dishwasher adapted to implement the method of the present invention.
  • the method comprises the two known basic steps of:
  • steps b.,c.,d. may optionally be repeated for a preferred number of times.
  • the basic method referred to above operates as a closed loop, wherein the air circulating within the machine is always the same and draws humidity from the crockery to yield it by contact to the regenerable hygroscopic material.
  • the latter is dried at the beginning of the cycle, by lowering the pressure in the environment where it is housed, so as to reduce the vapour tension of the water absorbed by the regenerable hygroscopic material.
  • a more complex embodiment of the method comprises the following steps:
  • the above method includes two distinct phases, i.e. one to be carried out in open-loop mode and one to be carried out in closed-loop mode.
  • the crockery is dried by simply subjecting it to a flow of environmental air, which is then exhausted out of the machine after the humidity has been lowered by means of a condenser or the like.
  • the second closed-loop phase is substantially similar to the one described above, and is used to speed up the drying of the crockery, while at the same time providing a substantial energy saving.
  • an air heating step may be provided by using suitable electric resistors.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates the tub 2 of the dishwasher 1 that houses the crockery S.
  • the exploded view shows a part of the circuit that can be used for implementing the method according to the present invention.
  • circuit is an integral part of the machine 1, since it is housed therewithin; the exploded view in the annexed drawings is however useful to understand its operation and to identify its functional parts.
  • first valve 4 preferably a solenoid valve, which is adapted to intercept the duct 3 itself.
  • a container for a regenerable hygroscopic material 6 said container 6 being preferably hermetic except for an intake aperture and an exhaust aperture respectively connected to said air intake duct 3 and to an air exhaust duct 7, along which there is a vacuum pump 8 having preferably a power of approx. 100 W and a flow rate of 15 1t/min and being adapted to reach absolute pressures of approx. 0.12 bars.
  • Fig. 2 the machine 1 is carrying out the step a. for regenerating the hygroscopic material.
  • valve 4 In this operating condition, the valve 4 is closed, i.e. it shuts off the air intake duct 3.
  • the pump 8 is in operation so that the container 6, arranged between the valve 4 and the pump 8 itself, is placed by the latter into a vacuum condition at the above-mentioned pressure values. Therefore, the hygroscopic material contained in the container 6, through the effect of this pressure reduction, is dried and releases its humidity in the form of steam, which is then sent, through the air exhaust duct 7, and the pump 8 and the air supply duct 12, into the tub 2 or directly into the drain of the dishwasher 1 (not shown).
  • valve 4 is opened, as shown in Fig. 3 .
  • the pump 8 conveys a flow of dry air through the air supply duct, which air flows through the tub 2 and laps the crockery, thus subtracting humidity therefrom.
  • the air which is now humid, then flows through the air intake duct and reaches the container 6, where it yields its humidity to the hygroscopic material contained therein.
  • the circulating air flow is dry again, and reaches the pump 8 through the air exhaust duct 7, from where it is recirculated.
  • FIGs. 2 and 3 show the path followed by the air flow (humid or dry, according to the case) by means of a dashed arrow.
  • the crockery S is considered to be dry and the cycle stops.
  • step a is carried out again in order to appropriately dry or regenerate the hygroscopic material.
  • Fig. 4 shows an improved machine 10, wherein the same reference numerals designate the same parts of the machine 1, which will not be described any further.
  • the machine 10 comprises a first three-way valve 40, a second three-way valve 50, and a bypass duct 60.
  • the first valve 40 is located on the air intake duct 3 upstream of the container 6; the second valve 50 is located on the air exhaust duct 7 downstream of the container 6; the bypass duct 60 is connected to the first valve 40 and to the second valve 50.
  • the first valve is therefore connected to: the air intake duct 3, the container 6 and the bypass duct 60; in its turn, the second valve 50 is connected to: the air exhaust duct 7, the container 6, and the bypass duct 60.
  • the first valve 40 is actuated to close the air intake duct 3 and to place the container 6 in communication with the bypass duct 60; the second valve 50 is actuated to close the container 6 and to place the bypass duct 60 in fluidic communication with the air exhaust duct 7 directed towards the pump 8.
  • the hygroscopic material contained in the latter is subjected to a pressure which is lower than the atmospheric pressure, and hence it yields humidity which is conveyed into the tub 2, as previously explained.
  • the hygroscopic material which benefits the most from the pressure reduction, thus drying sooner and optimally, is immediately adjacent to the take-off point on the container 6.
  • the dry air flow generated by the pump 8 is conveyed into the tub 2 and subtracts humidity from the crockery S.
  • the latter is actuated in a manner such as to place the duct 3 in communication with the container 6 and to stop the fluidic communication with the bypass duct 60.
  • the humid air flow then goes through the container 6, thus yielding humidity to the hygroscopic material and becoming dry again.
  • valve 50 is actuated in a manner such as to place the container 6 in communication with the duct 7 and hence with the pump 8.
  • the dry air flow exiting the container is thus delivered to the pump 8, and from there into the tub 2 again, so that the cycle can be repeated for a preferred number of times or until the crockery can be considered to be dry.
  • the air take-off point during the hygroscopic material regeneration step coincides with the humid air supply point during the crockery drying step, it is advantageously attained that the portion of hygroscopic material that dries or regenerates best is that very portion which gets imbibed the most in the operating condition, since it is the first to come in contact with the humid air flow coming from the tub 2.
  • FIG. 7 , 8 and 9 Yet another variation is shown in Figs. 7 , 8 and 9 .
  • the machine 100 in this case, comprises a pump 900 arranged in line on the bypass duct 60, and a blower 800 arranged on the duct 7 that leads to the tub.
  • the operation is similar to that previously described, the only difference being that the hygroscopic material drying step, shown in Fig. 8 , is carried out by turning on the pump 900 on the bypass duct 60 and leaving the blower 800 off, whereas the crockery drying step is carried out by turning off the pump 900 and turning on the blower 800, which leads to a further saving in terms of energy consumption, since the blower 800 absorbs less electric energy than the pump 900.
  • the circuit that comprises the container 6 is housed in the base 20 of the machine (which is also adapted to house one or more pumps), thus saving room and improving the stability of the machine.

Landscapes

  • Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
  • Drying Of Solid Materials (AREA)
EP11170071A 2010-06-17 2011-06-15 Method and device for drying for a drying or washing/drying machine Withdrawn EP2397064A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITTO2010A000526A IT1400548B1 (it) 2010-06-17 2010-06-17 Metodo e dispositivo per l'asciugatura in una macchina asciugatrice o lavasciugatrice

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2397064A1 true EP2397064A1 (en) 2011-12-21

Family

ID=43740409

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP11170071A Withdrawn EP2397064A1 (en) 2010-06-17 2011-06-15 Method and device for drying for a drying or washing/drying machine

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP2397064A1 (it)
IT (1) IT1400548B1 (it)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP2682042A1 (en) 2012-07-06 2014-01-08 Indesit Company S.p.A. Household appliance with regeneration drying device
DE102010047058B4 (de) * 2009-10-06 2015-11-26 Sanhua Aweco Appliance Systems Gmbh Haushaltsmaschine mit einer Trocknung feuchter Gegenstände

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0358279A1 (de) 1988-09-09 1990-03-14 Bauknecht Hausgeräte GmbH Einrichtung zum Trocknen von Geschirr in einer Haushalt-Geschirrspülmaschine
EP0777998A1 (en) * 1995-12-09 1997-06-11 Whirlpool Europe B.V. Method of saving energy in domestic appliances and appliance with improved energy efficiency
WO2002003002A1 (en) * 2000-07-05 2002-01-10 Smart Clean Combination closed-circuit washer and drier
DE102007033494A1 (de) * 2007-07-18 2009-01-22 BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH Adsorptionstrockner
DE102007052083A1 (de) * 2007-10-31 2009-05-07 BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH Hausgerät mit Adsorptionstrocknungsgerät

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0358279A1 (de) 1988-09-09 1990-03-14 Bauknecht Hausgeräte GmbH Einrichtung zum Trocknen von Geschirr in einer Haushalt-Geschirrspülmaschine
EP0777998A1 (en) * 1995-12-09 1997-06-11 Whirlpool Europe B.V. Method of saving energy in domestic appliances and appliance with improved energy efficiency
WO2002003002A1 (en) * 2000-07-05 2002-01-10 Smart Clean Combination closed-circuit washer and drier
DE102007033494A1 (de) * 2007-07-18 2009-01-22 BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH Adsorptionstrockner
DE102007052083A1 (de) * 2007-10-31 2009-05-07 BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH Hausgerät mit Adsorptionstrocknungsgerät

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102010047058B4 (de) * 2009-10-06 2015-11-26 Sanhua Aweco Appliance Systems Gmbh Haushaltsmaschine mit einer Trocknung feuchter Gegenstände
EP2682042A1 (en) 2012-07-06 2014-01-08 Indesit Company S.p.A. Household appliance with regeneration drying device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
IT1400548B1 (it) 2013-06-11
ITTO20100526A1 (it) 2011-12-18

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