A combined washing and drying machine with increased efficiency

Abstract

The invention relates to a combined system (1) comprising at least one washing machine (30) and at least one drying machine (10) positioned adjacent to each other; wherein the drying machine (10) comprises at least one condenser (15) which enables the air to be heated, it comprises at least one evaporator (13) with which the air is contacted before the condenser (15) for dehumidification, it comprises at least one compressor (16) which enables a refrigerant to be moved between the evaporator (13) and the condenser (15).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] A COMBINED WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE WITH INCREASED EFFICIENCY

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] The invention relates to a combined system comprising at least one washing machine and at least one drying machine positioned adjacent to each other; wherein the drying machine comprises at least one condenser which enables the air to be heated, it comprises at least one evaporator with which the air is contacted before the condenser for dehumidification, it comprises at least one compressor which enables a refrigerant to be moved between the evaporator and the condenser.

[0005] PRIOR ART

[0006] Today, drying machines in almost every house have become a part of human life. For ease of use, washing machines and drying machines can be arranged on top of each other or side by side to form a tower (stacked) type, allowing them to be used together. Drying machines, which are available in a wide range of models, offer people a fast and efficient laundry drying option. There are essentially two types of drying machines available. These are electric and gas tumble dryers. Electric tumble dryers are divided into three types according to their drying principles: heat pump, condenser and chimney dryers. Among electric dryers, heat pump machines are the most energy efficient.

[0007] Heat pump machines require a compressor which enables the refrigerant to cycle, an evaporator which is the area where the drying air condenses, a condenser which supplies heat to the drying air to increase its dehumidification capacity and a fan to cool the heated compressor. The drying cycle proceeds until the moisture in the laundry reaches a certain level. The drying cycle, which is a closed cycle, and the refrigerant cycle provided by the heat pump operate continuously until the drying cycle is completed.

[0008] The compressor heats up during the drying cycle. In order to cool the heated compressor, heat transfer is usually performed by applying forced convection with the help of an axial fan. In this way, the compressor is cooled. The axial fan inside the machine sweeps the heat of the compressor and distributes it inside the machine. Here, the overall efficiency of the system decreases as the heat of the compressor is wasted. As a consequence, all the above-mentioned problems have made it imperative to innovate in the relevant technical field.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention relates to a combined system for eliminating the above-mentioned disadvantages and bringing new advantages to the relevant technical field.

[0011] An object of the invention is to provide a combined system with increased efficiency.

[0012] In order to achieve all the above-mentioned objectives and those that will emerge from the detailed description below, the present invention is a combined system comprising at least one washing machine and at least one drying machine positioned adjacent to each other; wherein the drying machine comprises at least one condenser which enables the air to be heated, it comprises at least one evaporator with which the air is contacted before the condenser for dehumidification, it comprises at least one compressor which enables a refrigerant to be moved between the evaporator and the condenser. Accordingly, its novelty is that it comprises at least one collection chamber in which at least some of the water used in washing in the washing machine accumulates after washing, at least one transmission line which takes the water in said collection chamber from the collection chamber and circulates it through the drying machine; that the drying machine comprises at least one preheating unit positioned in a space between the evaporator and the condenser to preheat the air as it passes from the evaporator to the condenser before it reaches the condenser, that said transmission line is partly wrapped around the compressor to receive the heat released by the compressor of the drying machine during operation and partly extends in said space between the evaporator and the condenser. Thus, the heat from the compressor is used as a preheating unit between the evaporator and the condenser, and the transfer of heat from the compressor to the preheating unit is provided by the water in the washing machine. In this way, a combined washing and drying system with increased efficiency is provided.

[0013] A possible embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the transmission line comprises at least two different parts, at least one carrier pipe, which is the part from the washing machine to the main body of the drying machine, and at least one heat transmission pipe, which is the part wrapped around the compressor and extending in the preheating section. Thus, a system is presented in which pipes can be configured differently from each other depending on the requirements in two different sections.

[0014] Another possible embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the said heat transmission pipe is made of a material with a higher heat transmission coefficient than the said carrier pipe. Thus, heat transfer is kept low in the part of the transmission line between the washing machine and the drying machine, and heat transfer is kept high in the part around the compressor and in the preheating unit.

[0015] Another possible embodiment of the invention is characterized in that it comprises at least one pump which moves the water in the collection chamber through the transmission line towards the drying machine.

[0016] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 shows representative front and rear views of the combined system according to the invention.

[0018] Figure 2 shows a representative enlarged view of the part where the collection chamber is located in the washing machine of the combined system according to the invention.

[0019] Figure 3 shows a representative top section view of the drying machine of the combined system according to the invention.

[0020] Figure 4 shows a representative top isometric view of the drying machine of the combined system according to the invention.

[0021] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] In this detailed description the subject matter of the invention is explained only by way of non-limiting examples for a better understanding of the subject matter.

[0023] Figure 1 shows representative front and rear views of the combined system (1 ) according to the invention. Said combined system (1 ) comprises at least one washing machine (30) and at least one drying machine (10) positioned adjacent to each other (side by side or on top of each other). The washing machine (30) is configured to wash the laundry and the drying machine (10) is configured to dry the laundry.

[0024] Figures 3 and 4 show representative top and top isometric views of the interior of the main body (11 ) of the drying machine (10). The drying machine (10) is substantially a drying machine (10) with heat pump (33). Accordingly, the laundry to be dried is placed in the drum inside the main body (11 ) of the drying machine (10) and hot air is supplied into the drum. The laundry is dried here by contact with hot air, and the drying air is humidified, since it removes moisture from the laundry.

[0025] The drying machine (10) comprises at least one refrigerant circuit positioned in the main body (11 ). Said refrigerant circuit comprises at least one condenser (15), at least one evaporator (13) and at least one compressor (16). The drying air circulated in the drum in the main body (1 1 ) is brought into contact with the evaporator (13) and condenser (15) respectively, wherein heat transfer is realized between the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit and the air. The compressor (16) allows the refrigerant to be moved to circulate between the evaporator (13) and the condenser (15) by pressurizing the refrigerant.

[0026] The refrigerant acts as a cooler in the evaporator (13) and as a heater in the condenser (15). Accordingly, the drying air cools down when it passes over the evaporator (13) and heats up when it passes over the condenser (15). The drying air passes into the evaporator (13) through at least one moist air inlet (12) opening. The drying air can be passed through various filters before leaving the drum and reaching the moist air inlet (12). When the air contacts the evaporator (13) and cools down, the moisture inside it condenses. The condensed water here is collected in a reservoir.

[0027] The drying machine (10) comprises at least one preheating unit (14). The preheating unit (14) is partly positioned in a space between the evaporator (13) and the condenser (15). The preheating unit (14) is configured to preheat the air after the evaporator (13) before it reaches the condenser (15).

[0028] The washing machine (30) comprises at least one collection chamber (31 ). After washing in the washing machine (30) is completed, at least part of the cooled wash water passes through at least one valve (32) and is collected in the said collection chamber (31 ). The collection chamber (31 ) is coupled to at least one transmission line (20). The said transmission line (20) extends between the washing machine (30) and the drying machine (10). Accordingly, the transmission line (20) is substantially a pipe structure that serves to transport the cold water accumulated in the collection chamber (31 ) to the drying machine (10).

[0029] The transmission line (20) is partly wrapped around the compressor (16) of the drying machine (10). In this way, the cold water coming from the washing machine (30) in the transmission line (20) receives heat from the compressor (16) and heats up. The transmission line (20) extends beyond the winding portion into the space between the evaporator (13) and the condenser (15) and there supplies a heat source for the preheating unit (14). Thus, the heat generated by the compressor (16) is used as a heat source between the evaporator (13) and the condenser (15). Here, there is a plurality of fins to increase the heat transfer surface area between the transmission line (20) pipe and the drying air. The said fins are preferably in the form of rectangular plates.

[0030] In the preferred embodiment, the transmission line (20) consists of at least two different parts, at least one carrier pipe (21) and at least one heat transmission pipe (22). The carrier pipe (21 ) comprises a portion of the transmission line (20) extending from the washing machine (30) into the main body (11 ) of the drying machine (10). The heat transmission pipe (22) comprises the part of the transmission line (20) that wraps around the compressor (16) and extends in the preheating section. The heat transmission pipe (22) is made of a material with a higher heat transmission coefficient than the carrier pipe (21 ). Thus, the cold water coming from the washing machine (30) in the transmission line (20) remains cold until it reaches around the compressor (16), the compressor (16) draws heat from the material with high heat transmission coefficient and this heat is effectively distributed in the preheating section.

[0031] In the preferred embodiment, the combined system (1 ) comprises at least one pump (33). Said pump (33) serves to move the cold water in order to enable the cold water to be transmitted from the collection chamber (31 ) to the drying machine (10). By means of the pump (33), the movement of the cold water is kept under control and the cold water is only moved towards the drying machine (10) when the drying machine (10) is operated. According to the embodiment described herein, in the inventive combined system (1), the drying air in the drying machine (10) is heated before reaching the condenser (15) and the compressor (16) itself is used as the heat source. Cold water discharged from the washing machine (30) is used to transmit heat from the compressor (16) to the space between the evaporator (13) and the condenser (15). With these embodiments, the temperature of the compressor (16) is used for preheating instead of being uncontrollably distributed by the fan as in the present art. Here, the overall efficiency of the system increases as heat losses are reduced and the capacity of the condenser (15) can be kept lower as the heating load of the condenser (15) is reduced. In this way, energy savings are achieved. Since the fluid circulated in the transmission line (20) is received from the washing machine (30) adjacent to the drying machine (10), there is no need for an additional fluid source. At the same time, the wastewater from the washing machine (30) is used to increase the efficiency before it is disposed of, and thus increasing the overall efficiency of the combined system (1 ).

[0032] The scope of protection of the invention is defined in the accompanying claims and cannot be strictly limited to those described in this detailed description for illustrative purposes. As it is clear that a person skilled in the art can present similar embodiments in the light of the foregoing without departing from the main subject matter of the invention.

[0033] REFERENCE NUMBERS GIVEN IN THE DRAWINGS

[0034] 1 Combined system

[0035] 10 Drying Machine

[0036] 11 Main Body

[0037] 12 Moist Air Inlet

[0038] 13 Evaporator

[0039] 14 Preheating Unit

[0040] 15 Condenser

[0041] 16 Compressor

[0042] 20 Transmission Line

[0043] 21 Carrier Pipe

[0044] 22 Heat Transmission Pipe

[0045] 30 Washing Machine

[0046] 31 Collection Chamber

[0047] 32 Valve

[0048] 33 Pump

Claims

CLAIMS1. A combined system (1 ) comprising at least one washing machine (30) and at least one drying machine (10) positioned adjacent to each other; wherein the drying machine (10) comprises at least one condenser (15) which enables the air to be heated, it comprises at least one evaporator (13) with which the air is contacted before the condenser (15) for dehumidification, it comprises at least one compressor (16) which enables a refrigerant to be moved between the evaporator (13) and the condenser (15), characterized in that it comprises at least one collection chamber (31 ) in which at least some of the water used in washing in the washing machine (30) accumulates after washing, it comprises at least one transmission line (20) which receives the water in said collection chamber (31 ) from the collection chamber (31 ) and circulates it through the drying machine (10), the drying machine (10) comprises at least one preheating unit (14) positioned in a space between the evaporator (13) and the condenser (15) to enable the air to be preheated as it passes from the evaporator (13) to the condenser (15) before reaching the condenser (15), said transmission line (20) is partly wrapped around the compressor (16) to receive the heat released by the compressor (16) of the drying machine (10) during operation, and partly extends in said space between the evaporator (13) and the condenser (15).

2. A combined system (1 ) according to the claim 1 , characterized in that the transmission line (20) comprises at least two different parts, at least one carrier pipe (21 ), which is the part from the washing machine (30) to the main body (11 ) of the drying machine (10), and at least one heat transmission pipe (22), which is the part wrapped around the compressor (16) and extending in the preheating section (14).

3. A combined system (1 ) according to the claim 2, characterized in that the said heat transmission pipe (22) is made of a material with a higher heat transmission coefficient than the said carrier pipe (21 ).

4. A combined system (1 ) according to the claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises at least one pump (33) which moves the water in the collection chamber (31 ) through the transmission line (20) towards the drying machine (10).

Images