KR20220136544A - Control method of membrane-heat pump hybrid dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a membrane heat pump hybrid dryer and a control method thereof. The membrane heat pump hybrid dryer of the present invention comprises: a drying barrel; a humid air pipe through which a humid air in the drying barrel can flow; a heat pump passing through the humid air pipe and heating the humid air; a dehumidification module through which the heated humid air can be introduced and which separates a water vapor and an air from the humid air; a dry air pipe supplying a dry air generated by the dehumidification module to the drying barrel; and a control unit connected to and controlling the drying barrel, the heat pump, and the dehumidification module. Provided are the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer, which reduces energy consumption, and the control method thereof.

Description

Membrane heat pump hybrid dryer and control method thereof

The present invention relates to a membrane heat pump hybrid dryer and a method for controlling the same.

In general, a dryer is a device that removes water vapor contained in an object by using a large amount of energy such as heat, steam, air flow, electromagnetic wave, etc. Gas and electric products are known.

Gas dryers are known to be somewhat advantageous in terms of energy efficiency due to the high strength of hot air, high drying efficiency, and low gas costs in Korea. However, the gas dryer has concerns about damage to the fabric due to the strength of the hot air, and it is difficult to install because the gas pipe and communication must be connected to the drying body, and the installation cost is relatively high.

Electric dryers have recently become more preferred because of their convenience as they can be operated immediately after only connecting the power cord. The electric dryer is literally a problem with the power that drives the dryer, and within the electric dryer, it is largely divided into heater drying and heat pump drying depending on the heating method. In addition, according to the moisture discharge method, it is again divided into an air vent and a condensing method.

Heater drying is a method in which a heater treated with a heating wire generates heat and air is circulated using a fan, and hot air enters the drum to dry the contents.

Heat pump drying is a so-called low-temperature dehumidifying drying method, and it is a method of drying the contents by removing moisture from the contents with a driving principle similar to that of a dehumidifier. Instead, the cost difference of parts and the like is more than double compared to the general heater drying method, so the consumer price is also generally high.

The air vent method is a compound word of air (air) + vent (vent: ventilation), and it is a method of venting air to the outside as if it were ventilated. It uses a separate pipe to drain moisture, and is suitable for installation in environments such as verandas or multi-purpose rooms where ventilation is easy for smooth moisture drainage.

The condensing method is a method in which humid air is not discharged directly to the outside, but meets a condensing medium such as a refrigerant installed inside like a dehumidifier to liquefy and pool water. There is no need to install a separate pipe, so there are few restrictions on the usage environment.

Such a dryer consumes a lot of time and energy to dry an object, so a control method for energy saving is required.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0113685 (2020.10.07.) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0011528 (2021.02.02.)

The present invention provides a membrane heat pump hybrid dryer that reduces energy consumption by using a membrane and a heat pump in combination, and a method for controlling the same.

A membrane heat pump hybrid dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a drying bin in which a drying fan is disposed, a wet air pipe through which the wet air of the drying bin can flow, and a heat pump through which the wet air pipe passes and heats the wet air, heating A dehumidification module for separating the steam and air from the humid air through which the wet air can be introduced, a dry air pipe for supplying the dry air generated by the dehumidification module to the drying box, and the drying box, the heat pump and the dehumidification module are connected and a control unit to be controlled.

The membrane heat pump hybrid dryer may further include an overheat prevention fan disposed in the dry air pipe.

The wet air pipe may pass through an evaporator and a condenser of the heat pump, and water vapor may be first separated from the wet air in the evaporator of the heat pump, and may be secondarily separated from the dehumidification module.

In the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention, a drying tub, an overheat prevention fan are disposed, a pipe through which the air of the drying bin can flow, a heat pump to increase the air temperature of the pipe, and the flowing air. In the control method for controlling a membrane heat pump hybrid dryer comprising a dehumidifying module for separating water vapor and a control unit for controlling the drying barrel, the heat pump and the dehumidifying module, by applying power to the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer operating the overheat prevention fan so that the air in the pipe connected to the drying tank flows; When the air temperature exchanged with the refrigerant of the condenser of the heat pump reaches a set temperature, the heat pump is stopped and the vacuum pump of the dehumidification module is operated to separate water vapor from the air, and the air from which the water vapor is separated is introduced. When the internal temperature of the drying bin is less than the set temperature, the stopped heat pump is operated and the vacuum pump is operated.

In the step of separating the water vapor from the air, the drying fan of the drying bin may be operated so that the air of the drying bin flows to the pipe.

In the step of separating water vapor from air, the vacuum pump of the dehumidification module may operate according to a set time.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as the vacuum pump of the membrane and the compressor of the heat pump are cross-operated, energy consumption of the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer is minimized.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, since the heat pump stops when the air temperature in the drying space exceeds the set temperature, damage to the building due to the high temperature can be prevented.

1 is a schematic view showing a membrane heat pump hybrid dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a control flow chart of the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer of Figure 1;
3 is a control state diagram of the heat pump and the vacuum pump according to the air temperature of the drying space and the air temperature of the wet air pipe.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily carry out the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in several different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Throughout the specification, like reference numerals are assigned to similar parts.

Then, a membrane heat pump hybrid dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 .

1 is a schematic diagram showing a membrane heat pump hybrid dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a drying tank 10 , a wet air pipe 30 , a heat pump 40 , a dehumidification module 50 , and a dry air pipe 60 . and a control unit 80 to save energy by using a membrane and a heat pump in combination. The membrane heat pump hybrid dryer 1 may further include a drying fan 20 , an outdoor air supply pipe 52 , and an overheat prevention fan 70 .

The drying barrel 10 is rotatably disposed inside the main body (not shown) forming the outer shape of the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer 1 . The drying barrel 10 may be rotated by the power of a driving motor (not shown). However, the drying barrel 10 may not rotate.

A drying space 11 is formed in the drying barrel 10 in which dried materials such as clothes and agricultural products are input and dried. Accordingly, a part of the drying barrel 10 is opened to form an entrance (not shown), and a door (not shown) is disposed at the entrance.

A drying space temperature sensing unit 82 for measuring the temperature of the drying space 11 is disposed in the drying barrel 10 .

A drying fan 20 is disposed in the drying barrel 10 . The drying fan 20 may allow the air in the drying space 11 to be discharged to the outside of the drying container 10 . The air discharged to the outside of the drying barrel 10 may include a submersible discharged from the building. Accordingly, the air may be wet air. However, when the drying of the building is completed, the air may be dry air because water vapor is not generated in the building.

The inside of the wet air pipe 30 is penetrated along the longitudinal direction. One end of the wet air pipe 30 is connected to the drying tank 10 . The wet air of the drying barrel 10 may flow by being introduced into the wet air pipe 30 .

The heat pump 40 includes a compressor 41 , a condenser 42 , an expansion valve 43 , and an evaporator 44 , and the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve, and the evaporator are connected by a refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant flows. Refrigerant may flow through the piping due to the operation of the compressor. Here, the temperature of the condenser may be higher than the temperature of the drying space 11 . Since the detailed configuration of the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve, and the evaporator is the same as that of the heat pump having a known configuration, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, the wet air pipe 30 passes through the evaporator 44 and the condenser 42 sequentially. The wet air may exchange heat with the refrigerant while passing through the evaporator 44, and at this time, some water vapor of the wet air may be evaporated and removed. The wet air from which water vapor is primarily removed may exchange heat with the refrigerant while passing through the condenser 42 . The temperature of the wet air may rise more than when discharged from the drying barrel (10).

At the other end of the wet air pipe 30 , a wet air temperature sensing unit 81 is disposed to measure the temperature of the wet air whose temperature is increased by way of the condenser 42 . The wet air temperature sensing unit 81 is positioned adjacent to the condenser 42 and is coupled to the wet air pipe 30 .

One end of the dehumidifying module 50 is coupled to the other end of the wet air pipe 30 . The humid air whose temperature is increased by the condenser 42 may pass through the dehumidification module 50 .

The dehumidification module 50 includes a housing through which humid air can pass, and a membrane disposed inside the housing. Here, it is formed as a membrane film, and may be formed in a flat plate type, a mid-gok desert type, or the like.

In addition, a plurality of inlets and a plurality of outlets are formed in the housing, and the membrane may separate the wet air and air from the inside of the housing.

The wet air of the wet air pipe 30 may be introduced into the interior of the housing through the first inlet, and the dry air generated by separation from the submersible may be discharged to the outside of the housing through the first outlet.

On the other hand, external air may be introduced into the interior of the housing through the second inlet, and the air separated from the submersible may be discharged to the outside of the housing through the second outlet. A vacuum pump 511 is connected to the second outlet. The external air introduced into the housing through the second inlet may sweep only the underwater out of the wet air introduced into the housing, and may be transferred to the second outlet where the vacuum pump 511 is located. Accordingly, the internal pressure and flow of the housing are smoothed while transferring the separated submersible through the membrane inside the housing.

On the other hand, a check valve 521 is disposed at the second inlet. The check valve 521 prevents the air in the housing from being discharged through the second inlet when the vacuum pump 511 is stopped while water vapor is discharged to the second outlet through the operation of the vacuum pump 511 .

As such a dehumidifying module may have a known dryer membrane structure, a detailed description thereof will be omitted below.

The inside of the dry air pipe 60 is penetrated in the longitudinal direction, and one end is connected to the first outlet of the dehumidifying module 50 . Accordingly, the dry air of the dehumidifying module 50 may be introduced into the dry air pipe 60 to flow. The other end of the dry air pipe (60) is connected to the drying tank (10). Dry air may be introduced into the drying space 11 to separate moisture from the dried material.

The overheat prevention fan 70 is disposed in the dry air pipe 60 and applies pressure so that the air (wet air, dry air) of the pipe (wet air pipe, dry air pipe) flows. It can operate selectively with the overheat prevention fan 70 and the drying fan 20 . However, the overheat prevention fan 70 and the drying fan 20 may operate at the same time. The overheat prevention fan 70 and the drying fan 20 may vary according to the settings of the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer 1 .

The control unit 80 is disposed on the main body and may include an input unit, an output unit, and the like. The control unit 80 is connected to the drying fan 20 , the compressor 41 , the vacuum pump 511 , the overheat prevention fan 70 , the drying space temperature sensing unit 82 , and the wet air temperature sensing unit 81 . The temperature of the drying space 11 detected by the drying space temperature sensing unit 82 and the temperature of the pipe detected by the wet air temperature sensing unit 81 are sent to the control unit 80, and the control unit 80 is the inputted temperature. Accordingly, the drying fan 20 , the compressor 41 , the vacuum pump 511 , and the overheat prevention fan 70 may be operated. In this case, the controller 80 may selectively operate the compressor 41 or the vacuum pump 511 according to the input temperature to reduce energy consumption.

Next, a control method of the above-described membrane heat pump hybrid dryer will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 .

2 is a control flow chart of the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer of FIG. 1 , and FIG. 3 is a control state diagram of the heat pump and vacuum pump according to the air temperature of the drying space and the air temperature of the wet air pipe.

First, referring to FIG. 2 , the control method of the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer according to the present embodiment includes a step of operating an overheat prevention fan (S10), a step of operating the heat pump (S20), and a portion of the pipe passing through the heat pump. Step (S30) of detecting the air temperature of the drying bin and the step of operating the vacuum pump (S40), the step of detecting the air temperature of the drying space (S50), and for a set time, the heat pump is stopped and the vacuum pump includes the step of operating (S60).

After the drying material is put into the drying space 11 of the drying container 10 , power is applied through the input unit of the control unit 80 to operate the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer 1 . As the overheat prevention fan 70 is operated by applying power, the air in the wet air pipe 30 , the dry air pipe 60 , and the drying space 11 can flow ( S10 ).

Power is applied to operate the compressor 41 of the heat pump 40 so that the refrigerant circulates through the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve, and the evaporator. The refrigerant passing through the condenser from the compressor is heated to a preset temperature and flows, and the temperature may be higher than the ambient temperature. The air flowing through the wet air pipe 30 may exchange heat with the refrigerant flowing through the condenser, and the air may be heated to a preset temperature (S20).

The wet air temperature sensing unit 81 detects the temperature of the air heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant of the heat pump 40 , and sends the sensed temperature to the control unit 80 . The control unit 80 determines whether the input air temperature of the wet air pipe 30 has reached a set temperature. The heat pump 40 and the overheat prevention fan 70 operate until the air temperature reaches the set temperature (S30).

When the air temperature reaches the set temperature, the drying fan 20 and the vacuum pump 511 are operated and the drying tank 10 can rotate. By the operation of the drying fan 20, the overheat prevention fan 70 may be stopped. However, the drying fan 20 and the overheat prevention fan 70 may be operated at the same time. This may vary depending on the type of drying material, drying time, and the like. With the operation of the drying fan 20, the air in the drying space 11 flows into the humid air pipe 30 and flows in the direction of the dehumidification module 50, and is heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant of the heat pump 40, and the dehumidification module 50 ) and the dry air pipe 60 may flow to be introduced into the drying space 11 . Water vapor may be discharged from the dry matter of the drying space 11 by the heated air. Accordingly, wet air is generated in the drying space 11 , and the wet air can flow through the wet air pipe 30 by the operation of the drying fan 20 . The wet air exchanges heat with the refrigerant of the evaporator 44, and the wet air in the wet air may be primarily separated. The wet air from which water vapor is primarily separated may exchange heat with the refrigerant of the condenser 42 and be heated again to a preset temperature. The heated wet air is introduced into the dehumidifying module 50 , and water vapor may be secondarily separated from the wet air by the operation of the vacuum pump 511 . Accordingly, water vapor and air are separated in the dehumidification module 50 , the water vapor is discharged to the outside of the dehumidification module 50 through the drain, and the dry air flows into the dry air pipe 60 through the other end of the dehumidification module 50 . can do. The dry air of the dry air pipe 60 flows into the drying space 11 so that water vapor is discharged from the drying material. The temperature of the drying space 11 may be lowered by the discharge of water vapor (S40).

The drying space temperature sensing unit 82 detects the air temperature in the drying space 11 and sends it to the control unit 80 , and the wet air temperature sensing unit 81 detects the temperature of the wet air at the end of the wet air pipe 30 . It is sent to (80) (S50).

The control unit 80 stops the operation of the heat pump 40 and operates only the vacuum pump 511 for a predetermined time when the temperature sensed by the wet air temperature sensing unit 81 exceeds the set temperature. The drying fan 20 is continuously operated so that the wet air in the drying space 11 circulates through the pipes (wet air pipe, dry air pipe). And when the temperature sensed by the drying space temperature sensing unit 82 is less than the set temperature, the stopped heat pump 40 is operated to increase the wet air temperature of the wet air pipe 30 and the vacuum pump 511 is stopped. At this time, it is possible to prevent the reverse flow of water vapor by the check valve of the outdoor air supply pipe (52). When the temperature of the drying space 11 reaches the set temperature, the compressor 41 stops and the vacuum pump 511 continues to operate according to the set time. If the set temperature is not reached, the compressor 41 continues to operate and the vacuum pump ( 511) stops (S60).

Dry air may be produced while the wet air in the drying space 11 circulates through the wet air pipe 30 , the dehumidification module 50 , and the dry air pipe 60 . If wet air is not generated in the drying space 11 , the operation of the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer may be stopped.

Referring further to FIG. 3 , the air temperature gradually rises due to heat exchange between the refrigerant whose temperature and pressure have risen due to the operation of the heat pump 40 and the air heat exchange of the wet air pipe 30 . At this time, since the air passing through the heat pump 40 does not flow into the drying space 11 , the air temperature in the drying space 11 does not rise.

When the air heat-exchanged with the refrigerant exceeds the set temperature, the operation of the heat pump 40 is stopped. And since the heat pump 40 is stopped, heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air in the wet air pipe 30 is not performed, so that the temperature of the air passing through the heat pump 40 may be gradually lowered. At this time, if the temperature of the sensed air is lower than the set temperature, the heat pump 40 may operate again to increase the temperature of the air.

Meanwhile, when the heat pump 40 is stopped, the drying fan 20 and the vacuum pump 511 are operated, and the heat-exchanged air flows through the dehumidification module and the dry air pipe and flows into the drying space 11 . The air temperature of the drying space 11 may rise. When the air temperature of the drying space 11 is higher than the set temperature, the heat pump stops and the drying fan 20 and the vacuum pump 511 operate. The temperature of the drying space 11 is prevented from rising further to prevent damage to the building material due to high heat.

When the air is heated by the operation of the heat pump 40, the temperature of the air passing through the heat pump 40 is gradually increased, but the drying fan and the vacuum pump do not operate, so that the temperature of the drying space is gradually lowered. However, when the heat pump 40 is stopped and the drying fan and the vacuum pump are operated, the temperature of the drying space 11 increases due to air circulation and the temperature of the air passing through the heat pump 40 decreases.

The vacuum pump 511 of the dehumidification module 50 and the compressor 41 of the heat pump 40 are the main causes of power consumption of the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer 1 . When the vacuum pump 511 and the compressor 41 operate at the same time, energy consumption is greatly increased. Accordingly, the heat pump 40 and the vacuum pump 511 are cross-operated according to the temperature sensing of the wet air temperature sensing unit 81 and the wet air temperature sensing unit 81 to minimize the energy consumption of the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer 1 .

Accordingly, if the compressor 41 of the heat pump 40 in the wet air pipe 30 is operated after raising the temperature to the maximum, the temperature rise time can be significantly increased compared to operating while circulating, and the width of the temperature rise time is eventually consumed Since it is energy, the energy consumption can be reduced by rapidly increasing the temperature. Accordingly, energy consumption can be reduced and drying time can also be reduced to some extent due to the alternating control of the compressor 41 and the vacuum pump 511 .

Through the above series of processes, energy consumption generated when the vacuum pump 511 is operated can be reduced, and the heating time for increasing the internal temperature can be reduced, thereby saving energy.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention as defined in the following claims are also provided. is within the scope of the

1: Dryer 10: Drying bin
11: drying space 20: drying fan
30: wet air pipe 40: heat pump
41: compressor 42: condenser
43: expansion valve 44: evaporator
50: dehumidification module 511: vacuum pump
521: check valve 60: dry air piping
70: overheating prevention fan 80: control unit
81: wet air temperature sensing unit 82: dry space temperature sensing unit

Claims (6)

A drying bin equipped with a drying fan,
Wet air pipe through which the wet air of the drying barrel can flow,
a heat pump through which the wet air pipe passes and heats the wet air;
A dehumidifying module that allows the heated wet air to flow in and separates water vapor and air from the wet air;
a dry air pipe for supplying the dry air generated by the dehumidifying module to the drying tank; and
A control unit connected to the drying bin, the heat pump and the dehumidifying module to control it
Membrane heat pump hybrid dryer comprising a. In claim 1,
Membrane heat pump hybrid dryer further comprising an overheat prevention fan disposed on the dry air pipe. In claim 1,
The wet air pipe passes through the evaporator and the condenser of the heat pump, and the wet air is a membrane heat pump hybrid dryer in which water vapor is primarily separated in the evaporator of the heat pump and secondary in the dehumidification module. A drying bin, a pipe in which an overheating prevention fan is disposed and the air in the drying bin can flow, a heat pump for increasing the air temperature of the pipe, a dehumidifying module for separating water vapor from flowing air, and the drying bin and the heat pump And in the control method for controlling the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer comprising a control unit for controlling the dehumidification module,
applying power to the membrane heat pump hybrid dryer to operate the overheat prevention fan so that the air in the pipe connected to the drying tank flows;
operating the heat pump to control the air temperature of the pipe that has exchanged heat with the refrigerant of the condenser of the heat pump to reach a set temperature;
Separating water vapor from the air by stopping the heat pump and operating the vacuum pump of the dehumidification module when the temperature of the air heat-exchanged with the refrigerant of the condenser of the heat pump reaches a set temperature, and
When the internal temperature of the drying bin into which the air from which the water vapor is separated is less than the set temperature, the stopped heat pump is operated and the operating vacuum pump is stopped
Membrane heat pump hybrid dryer control method comprising a. In claim 4,
In the step of separating water vapor from air,
Membrane heat pump hybrid dryer control method for operating the drying fan of the drying bin so that the air in the drying bin flows to the pipe. In claim 5,
In the step of separating water vapor from air,
A method for controlling a membrane heat pump hybrid dryer in which the vacuum pump of the dehumidification module operates according to a set time.

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