US2824386A

US2824386A - Moisture condensing system for clothes drying machines

Info

Publication number: US2824386A
Application number: US610022A
Authority: US
Inventors: Aidan M Stone
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1956-09-14
Filing date: 1956-09-14
Publication date: 1958-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 1975-02-25

Description

Feb. 25, 1958 A, M, STONE ,386v

MOISTURE CONDENSING SYSTEM FOR CLOTHES DRYING MACHINES Filed Sept. 14, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR AIDAN M. STONE.

H I5 ATTDRNEY Feb. 25', 1958 A. M.VSTONE 2,824,386

MOISTURE CQNDENSING' SYSTEM FOR CLOTHES DRYING MACHINES Fild Sept. 14, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2' FIG.2

INVENTOR.

AIDAN M 51cm: BY 34fW/9 s-u-s ATTORNEY Feb. 25, 1958 A. M. STONE 2,824,336,

MOISTURE CONDENSINGISYSTEM FOR CLOTHES'DRYING MACHINES Filed Sept. 14, 1956 4 Sheed t a FIG. 3

IN VENT 0R. 7

' A'DAN M. STONE BY 9/}? HIS ATTORNEY Feb. 25, 1958 ST 2,824,386

MOISTURE CCNDENSING SYSTEM FOR CLOTHES DRYING MACHINES Filed Sept. 14, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 PIC-3.5

IN VENT 0R.

- v AID'AN M. STONE Z8 41 I Y *WfWj H is ATTORNEY United States Pate MOISTURE CONDENSING SYSTEM FOR CLOTHES DRYING MACHINES Aidan M. Stone, Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application September 14, 1956, Serial No. 610,022

4 Claims. (Cl. 3475) My invention relates to clothes drying machines and more particularly to such machines of the cold wall condensing type in which cold water is flowed down a wall of the drying operation during the drying operation to condense the moisture extracted from the clothes. It will be understood that by clothes drying machines I mean both clothes dryers and combination washer-dryers since my invention may be applied to both. My invention is in fact described in detail hereinafter as applied to a combination washer-dryer.

It is a primary object of my invention to provide an improved clothes drying machine of the above-mentioned cold wall condensing type; and it is a more specific object of my invention to provide such a machine in which the same condenser water is reused within the drying chamber to provide a second condensing effect after it reaches the bottom portion of the chamber.

In carrying out my invention I provide a clothes drying machine having an imperforate tub structure which defines a drying chamber. Suitable clothes tumbling means are disposed within the drying chamber and a heater is provided for heating the clothes being tumbled so as to extract moisture therefrom. In order to condense the moisture extracted from the clothes the machine includes means for flowing cold condenser water down a wall of the chamber on the inner surface thereof, and by my invention the same condenser water is reused to provide a second condensing effect within the chamber after it reaches the bottom portion of the wall. To produce this second condensing effect a baffle is provided which extends across the wall somewhat above the bottom of the chamber. This baffie collects the water coming down the wall and directs it toward one end of the chamber. The drain from the chamber is positioned at the other end thereof and thus the condenser water to reach the drain must flow longitudinally across the chamber after leaving the bafile. The condenser water leaving the bafile is in a rather turbulent state as compared to the laminar flow action in which it came down the chamber wall, and thereby new surfaces of the water are presented to the moist air within the chamber as the water flows longitudinally across the chamber. Thus the water produces a second condensing action during its passage which adds appreciably to the effectiveness of the drying operation.

The subject, matter which I regard as my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. My invention, however, both as organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevational view of a combination washer-dryer embodying my invention in one form thereofythe view partially broken away and partially in section in order to illustrate details;

2,824,386 Patented Feb. 25, 1958 ICC Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the machine with certain surfaces broken away and partially in section in order to illustrate details;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the imperforate tub structure of the machine with the clothes basket removed; and

Pig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the tub structure showing my novel baffie means for producing a second condensing action within the drying chamber.

Referring now to the drawings I have shown therein a combination washer-dryer l which is so constructed and arranged that it proceeds through a sequence of operations first washing and damp drying the clothes placed therein and then completely or fluff drying them. During the drying portion of the machine operation the clothes are heated so as to extract moisture therefrom and this moisture is condensed by flowing a sheet of cold condenser water down a wall of the drying chamber. As will be explained hereinafter in detail, by my invention I have provided in the machine 1 new and improved means whereby this condenser water is reused within the drying chamber to provide a secondary condensing action after it reaches the bottom of the wet wall. "the condenser water after reaching the bottom of the wall is collected and flowed in a turbulent state longitudinally across the bottom of the drying chamber whereby new surfaces of the Water are presented to the moist air within the chamber and an additional condensing action is obtained.

The machine 1 is of the horizontal axis type, that is, it includes a clothes basket 2 which is rotatable about a generally horizontal axis. The basket 2 is mounted within an outer imperforate tub 3 and the cylindrical side wall of the basket is provided with a plurality of perforations or holes to allow communication between the basket and the chamber 4 defined by the tub. The basket is rotatably supported from the tub 3 by a horizontally extending shaft 5 which is mounted in anelongated bearing 6 (Fig. 3) hung from the rear wall of the tub structure. The shaft 5 as well as supporting the basket 2 also serves to drive it during the operation of the machine. The basket is loaded and unloaded through an opening in the front wall thereof which is aligned respectively with openings in the tub 3 and the outer appearance cabinet 7 of the machine. A hinged door 8 mounted on the appearance cabinet seals around the tub opening so as to close off the chamber 4 during the operation of the machine.

The imperforate tub 3 and the appearance cabinet 7 are both mounted on a suitable base structure 9 of the bottom of the machine. The tub specifically is mounted thereon by means of a plurality of brackets or arms 10 which are secured to upstanding plates 11 fixedly attached on the base. In addition to the tub and the appearance cabinet the base 9 also mounts the basket drive means. The, drive means comprise a motor 12 and a multi-speed transmission 13 (see Fig. l). The motor 12 drives the transmission assembly 13 by means of a belt 14 and the transmission assembly in turn drives the basket 2 through a belt 15. The belt 15 specifically turns the basket drive pulley 16 which is mounted on the outer end of the basket drive shaft 5. Transmission assembly 13 is shiftable between two different gear ratios so that the basket 2 may be driven at one speed for tumbling clothes and at a second or higher speedfor centrifugally extracting water from the clothes. The clothes tumbling speed, may, for example, be about 45 R. P. M. and the centrifugal extraction speed about 200 R. P. M. The means whereby the transmission is shifted between thelower and the higher speeds preferably comprises a solenoid operated plunger Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the machine of 3 Fig. 1 with the side panel removed;

washer-dryer, that is, it proceeds through a cycle of operations first washing and damp drying the clothes and then, if desired, completely or fluff drying the clothes. The clothes basket 2 is driven at its lower speed both for washing the clothes and for tumbling them during the drying operation. It is drivenat its higher speed for extracting water from them by centrifugal extraction. The machine during its sequence of operations is under the control of a suitable timer operated sequence control 17 which energizes and de-energizes the various electrical components of the machine in a predetermined sequence. Since the sequence control forms no part of the present invention, it will not be described herein. However, a sequence control and circuit suitable for use in the illustrated machine are described and claimed in the copending application of John W. Toma et al., S. N. 584,658 filed May 14, 1956 and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

To heat the clothes during the drying portion of the machine operation and also to heat the wash water during the washing portion of the operation when desired there is provided in the machine 1 a heater assembly including two

heaters

18 and 19. These heaters are mounted \titmn the upper portion of the chamber 4 defined by the tub 3 and they are preferably of the sheathed type. When they are energized during the washing cycle, they heat the water by first heating the basket 2. Then as the basket dips into the wash water at the bottom of the tub, it in turn heatsthe water. In other words the rotating basket serves as an effective heat transfer means between the heating elements and the water or other washing liquid. When the heaters are energized during the drying cycle, the heat transferred to the basket is then passed to the clothes to cause vapor migration out of the clothes. Specifically, the heat causes the moisture in the clothes to be evaporated out of them into the air within the chamber 4. Since the outer cylindrical shell of the basket is perforated, some of the heat from the

heaters

18 and 19 passes directly to the clothes by radiation to aid in this moisture removal action.

The means whereby water is admitted to and discharged from the tub 3 during the operation of the machine are particularly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The water supply means include

connections

20 and 21 through which hot and cold water are supplied to the machine respectively. For the washing operation a valve controlled by a solenoid 22 admits hot water to the machine and a valve controlled by a solenoid 23 admits cold water to the machine. The hot and cold water valves under the control of the solenoids22 and 23 discharge through a common outlet conduit 24. From the conduit 24 the inlet water passes through a suitable air gap into a funnel 25 and the funnel 25 in turn discharges into a line 26 which leads to a sump 27 mounted at the bottom of the tub. The sump 27 is connected to the interior of the tub, i. e. the chamber 4, by a suitable aperture 28 through the bottom of the tub (see Fig. 4), and when water is supplied to the sump from the inlet water valves, the water rises upwardly into the tub from the sump thereby filling .it. In the illustrated machine a pressure actuated sensing device or water level control 29 controls the inlet

water valve solenoids

22 and 23 to maintain the proper water level in the machine during the washing operation. This sensing device is connected to the interior of the tub 3 by a suitable conduit 29a.

In order to drain the wash and rinse water from the machine at the close of the washing and rinsing operations, the machine 1 is provided with a motor driven drain pump 30 (see Fig. 1). This drain pump is connected to. the sump 27 by a hose 31 and when it is in operation it withdraws water from the sump and thus from the chamber 4 through this hose. From the pump 30the waste water is then passedto the household drain through a suitable conduit 32.

.The machine 1 .is of the type which uses cold water during the drying cycle. forcondensing the moisture extracted from the clothes. Specifically in the machine 1 cold condenser water is flowed down a wall of the tub 3 during the drying operation so as to condense the moisture from the moist air in the chamber 4. The condenser water is admitted to the machine 1 during the drying cycle by means of a solenoid actuated valve which is connected to the conduit 21 and which is controlled by a solenoid 33 (Fig. 1). The solenoid 33 is energized during the drying operation so that the valve controlled by it passes Water at a slow rate sufficient to condense the moisture extracted from the clothes. As shown, the condenser water valve discharges into a funnel 34 through an individual discharge conduit 35. The air gap between the conduit 35 and the funnel 34 prevents supply line contamination. From the funnel the condenser water flows through a line 36 (Fig. 2) into a vent trap device 37, and from the trap device 37 it flows through an aperture (not shown) in the tub side wall into the interior chamber 4 of the tub. The trap device 37 is intended to seal ofi? the interior of the tub during the drying operation while venting it through a suitable vent hose 38 during the washing operation. In the illustrated vent trap the flow of condenser water during the drying operation acts as the sealing means and the arrangement of the trap and in fact the venting system as a whole are described and claimed in the copending application of Walter J. Raczynski, S. N. 538,891 filed October 6, 1955,

now Patent No. 2,800,008, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. Reference may be had to that application for a full explanation of the operation of the vent trap, the trap forming no part of the present invention.

The condenser water entering the tub chamber 4 from the vent trap is then flowed down the inner surface of the side wall of the tub in order to condense the moisture being evaporated from the clothes as a result of the heat supplied from the

heaters

18 and 19. Specifically, the water is flowed down the lower quadrant of the tub side wall immediately below the inlet aperture from the vent trap, that is the lower left hand quadrant of the tub as viewed in Fig. l or the lower right hand quadrant of the tub as viewed in Fig. 4. In order to distribute the water evenly across the side wall in a thin sheet there are provided in the machine 1 an inverted V-shaped raised area or chevron 39 on the tub and a water spreader element 40 which covers or overlies both the inlet aper' ture from the vent trap and the upper end end of the chevron. The spreader element 40 and the chevron or raised area39 cooperate so as to spread the water across the width of the tub side wall whereby it flows down the wall in a thin sheet or film. A preferred spreader element and its arrangement with regard to the chevron to effect this result are described and claimed in the copending application of John .W. Toma, S. N. 609,854 filed concurrently herewith and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

As the condenser water flows down the wall of the tub it cools the wall of the tub and provides a cold surface on which moisture may condense out of the moist air within the chamber 4. As the moisture condenses, it is thencarried down the side wallwith the condenser water. My invention -is particularly directed. to an arrangement whereby the condenser water is reused within the drying chamber 4 after it reaches the bottom of the wall to provide a second condensing effect within the chamber. As a result of the second condensing elfect obtained by the reutilization .of the condenser water a more efficient drying operation is provided.

The second condensing eifect is obtained by collecting the flow coming down the tub side wall, directing it to onecnd of the bottom of the tub, and then passing it in a turbulent state longitudinally across the bottom of the tub from one end of the chamber 4 to the other. The flow as it passes across the chamber bottom thereby produces an additional condensing action which adds appreciably to the effectiveness of the drying operation. It is believed that this additional condensing action is due at least in part to new surfaces or molecules of the water being exposed to the moist air within the chamber 4, which were not exposed as the flow came down the tub side wall in a more or less laminar sheet.

In order to obtain the second condensing action in the machine I have provided within the drying chamber 4, a baffle or dam 41 which catches the water as it reaches the lower portion of the side wall of the chamber. This baffle 41 in the illustrated embodiment extends slantwise across the side wall of the tub or in other words its rear end 42 lies slightly higher up the tub wall than does its front end 43. As the water comes down the wall of the tub it is caught by the baffle 41 and turned so that it flows across the wall of the tub toward the front end of the machine. A gasket 44 positioned between the baflle and the tub wall prevents leakage under the baffle, and an overhanging flange 45 on the top of the bafiie prevents splashing over it. The baflle may be held on the tub wall by any suitable means, as, for example, by the bolts 46. Incidentally, it will be understood that the baflie may be formed as an -integral part of the tub wall in which case the gasket 44 and bolts 46 would not be needed.

After the water leaves the front end 43 of the dam it is then caused to pass longitudinally across the bottom of the tub and as it passes across the tub, it provides the second condensing action. To cause the water to flow longitudinally across the tub bottom the bottom is recessed as indicated at 47 and the drain aperture 28 is positioned at the rear of the recess. Due to this positioning of the drain aperture the condenser water can escape from the tub only at the rear thereof, and thereby it must and does pass longitudinally across the tub bottom after leaving the battle. Further, in the illustrated embodiment the fiat bottom surface or wall of the recess is sloped downwardly from front to rear to aid in producing this flow. This flat surface of the recess also serves as an area over which the water may spread laterally into a condensing sheet as it passes longitudinally across the tub bottom.

As the water leaves the front end of the baffle, it is no longer in the laminar flow in which it came down the tub. Rather as a result of being caught and turned by the baifle, it is flowing with considerable turbulence as it leaves the baflie. Thereby, as indicated above, new surfaces of the water are presented to the moist air Within the chamber 4 as the water spreads over the flat bottom surface of the recess 47 and passes across the tub bottom, and thus a second condensing action is obtained from the same condenser water already used on the wet wall. The condenser water and the moisture condensed there by, after reaching the drain aperture 28, are then removed from the machine by the drain pump 30 which runs continuously during the drying cycle.

I have found that by providing the second condensing effect within the drying chamber, the drying operation tends to take place at a lower temperature. This has the advantage that the clothes are less likely to be scorched or otherwise heat damaged during the process. For example, in a size of the illustrated machine suitable for domestic use having a clothes basket 26" in diameter it has been found that the clothes plateau temperature is lowered approximately 5 F. when my second condensing action is added to the principal wet wall condensing action. In other words the provision of the dam 41 and the recess 47 in the bottom of the tub is effective to lower the clothes plateau temperature by about 5 F. By clothes plateau temperature it is meant that temperature of the clothes load at which the heat input to the clothes is equal to the heat actually used in evaporating moisture from them. When this condition occurs the temperature within the chamber 4 remains relatively constant, i. e., at a plateau, for a substantial period of time and hence there is derived the term clothes plateau temperature. This plateau temperature continues for a large portion of the drying operation and in fact when the temperature begins to rise above it, it is an indication that the drying process is substantially complete. Thus if the clothes plateau temperature is lower, it means that agreat portion of the drying cycle is conducted at a lower temperature with less likelihood of heat damage to the clothes.

In order to control the length of the drying operation it is preferable that some temperature responsive automatic means he used. In the machine 1 a thermostat 48 (Fig. 1) is provided for that purpose, which has a sensing bulb 49 disposed within the tub structure. The

thermostat 48 senses the temperature within the chamber 4 and thus the condition of the clothes as the drying cycle continues. When the clothes have substantially dried, i. e. when the temperature rises a predetermined amount above the clothes plateau temperature, the drying cycle is terminated automatically by the action of the thermostat and the clean dry clothes may be removed from the machine.

Summing up briefly the operation of the machine 1 it will be understood that the clothes are first tumbled in soapy water so as to wash them free of soil particles and stains. The wash water is introduced into the machine through the inlet valves controlled by the

solenoids

22 and 23 and the soap is placed into the machine through the door 8. After the clothes have been Washed for a suitable length of time, the wash water is then drained from the machine by the pump 30 and the clothes basket is driven at high speed to extract the wash water from the clothes. Following the extraction of the wash water, clean rinse water is introduced into the machine by means of the water inlet valves and the clothes are tumbled in the rinse water so as to rinse them of suds. The rinse Water is then drained from the machine and the clothes are again spun at high speed. Following the extraction of the rinse water from'the clothes, which leaves them in a clean-damp dry condition, the

heaters

18 and 19 are then turned on and the basket driven at tumble speed so as to heat or fluff dry the clothes.

As the machine proceeds into the drying operation with the heaters energized, the solenoid 33 of the condenser water valve is energized so that condenser water is passed into the machine through the vent trap 37. This condenser water is spread by means of the spreader 40 and chevron 39 so that the condenser water flows down the wall of the tub in a wide evenly distributed sheet or film. This sheet or film produces a first condensing action within the chamber 4 to condense the moisture extracted from the clothes being tumbled. Near the bottom of the tub wall the sheet of water is caught by the dam or baffle 41 and turned toward the front of the tub. At the front of the tub the water is discharged from the baffle 41 in a turbulent state, and it proceeds to flow from there longitudinally back across the bottom of the tub to the drain 28. As the condenser water passes longitudinally across the bottom of the tub, new surfaces of the water are presented to the moist air within the chamber 4 and thereby a second condensing action is produced within the chamber. This second condensing action when added to the wet wall condensing action is effective to lower the clothes plateau temperature and thereby produce a more satisfactory drying operation. The condenser water and the condensed moisture are of course drained continuously from the machine by the pump 30. When the clothes have been substantially dried as sensed by the thermostat 48, the drying cycle is thereupon terminated automatically with all the electrical components of the machine being de-energized.

While in accordance with the Patent Statutes I have described what at present is considered the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from .theinvention, and it is, therefore, aimed in the appended ,claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a clothes drying machine, a tub structure defining a drying chamber, clothes tumbling means disposed within said drying chamber, heating means .for heating the clothes being tumbled to extract moisture therefrom, means for flowing a sheet of cold condenser water down a wall of said chamber for condensing said moisture, a drain from the bottom of said chamber adjacent one end thereof for discharging said condenser water from said chamber, and a baffle extending slant-wise across said wall above said drain effective to collect said water and direct it toward other end of said chamber, .said baffle terminating at a point spaced from the surface defining said other end of said chamber, whereby said water must flow longitudinally across said chamber from the, discharge and of said baffle to said drain producing a second .condensing action during its passage.

2. in a clothes drying machine, a tub structure defining a drying chamber, clothes tumbling means disposed Within said drying chamber, heating means for heating the clothes being tumbled to extract moisture therefrom, means for flowing a sheet of cold condenser water down a wall of said chamber for condensing said moisture, ,a drain from the bottom of said chamber adjacent one end thereof for discharging said condenser water from said chamber, a baffle extendingslantrwise across said Wall above said drain effective to collect saidwater and direct it to the other end of said chamber, said baffle terminating at a point spaced from the surface defining said other end of said chamber, whereby said water must flow longitudinally across the chamber from the discharge end of said battle to said drainproducing a second condensing action within said chamber during its passage, and a recess in said wallof said chamber below said baffle for conducting said water from said discharge end of said.

bati'le tosaid drain,..said recess having a fiat bottom surface over which saidwater may spread laterally .as.it flows longitudinally across said chamber.

3. In a clothes drying machine, a tub structure defining a drying chamber, clothes tumbling means disposed within said drying chamber, heating means for heating the clothes being tumbled to extract moisture therefrom, means for flowing a sheet of cold condenser water down a wall of said chamber for condensing said moisture, a battle extending slant-wise across said wall above the bottom of said chamber to collect said water and direct it toward one end of said chamber, said bafile terminating at a point spaced from the surface defining said other end of said chamber, and a wall surface of said chamber below said bafiiesloping downwardly toward the other end of said chamber whereby said water is passed longitudinally across said chamber after leaving said bafileto produce a second condensing action.

4-. Ina clothes drying machine, a tub structure defining a drying chamber, clothestumbling means disposed within said drying chamber, heating means for heating the clothes being tumbled to extract moisture therefrom, means for flowing a sheet of cold condenser water down a wall of said chamber for condensing said moisture, a batlle extending slantwise across said wall above the bottom of saidchamber to collect water and direct it toward one end of ,said chamber, said bafile terminating at a point spaced from the surface defining said other end of said chamber and having an overhanging top edge to prevent splashing of said water thereover, a recess in said chamber below said baffle having a fiat bottom surface sloping downwardly toward the other end of said chamber, whereby said water is passed longitudinally across said chamber after leaving said baffle to produce a second condensing action, and a drain at said other end of said chamber for draining said condenser water from said chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,217,345 McGraW Oct. 8, 1 940 2,451,692 Pugh Oct. 19, 1948 2,644,245 Hammell et a]. July 7, 1953 2,680,916 Smith June 15, 1954