Clothes dryer including condensing apparatus

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing condensing apparatus in clothes dryers experiences unstable condensing efficiency due to the high-speed air flow disrupting the cooling water flow, leading to reduced drying efficiency and potential water droplets entering downstream components.

Innovation Solution

The design includes a hot air channel with a lower inlet and higher outlet, featuring flow guide ribs and a protruding structure to stabilize the cooling water flow, ensuring it flows downward and disperses effectively for enhanced heat exchange, while the protruding structure below the cooling water area causes turbulence with hot air for improved condensation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If cooling water is fed into the hot air channel to condense moisture, then condensation function is achieved, but the high-speed air flow blows about the cooling water, making the condensing effect unstable

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecondensing effect stabilityVSAvoidcondensing efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The hot air channel wall is segmented by adding flow guide ribs that divide the channel into multiple flow paths. This segmentation guides the cooling water to flow along specific paths rather than being randomly dispersed by the high-speed air flow, stabilizing the water flow and improving condensing efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The flow guide ribs act as intermediary structures between the cooling water and the high-speed air flow. These ribs create a controlled flow pattern that mediates the interaction between the two fluids, allowing the cooling water to maintain stable flow along the channel wall while still effectively condensing moisture from the hot air.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If cooling water flows in the hot air channel, then moisture condensation occurs, but water droplets may enter the fan and heating channel, reducing drying efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrying efficiencyVSAvoidwater droplet intrusion
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The flow guide ribs extract and guide the cooling water flow along the channel wall, separating it from the central high-speed air flow path. This extraction prevents water droplets from being carried into the fan and heating channel, eliminating the harmful effect while maintaining condensation function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Productivity

If the cooling water flow is increased to improve condensation, then condensing capacity increases, but water flow becomes more unstable and prone to splashing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecondensing capacityVSAvoidwater flow stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The flow guide ribs create local flow guidance zones along the channel wall where cooling water is directed to flow in a controlled manner. This local quality control allows increased water flow for higher condensing capacity while maintaining flow stability through the guided paths, preventing random splashing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This configuration stabilizes the condensing effect and enhances condensing efficiency by ensuring stable water flow and increased heat exchange contact between cooling water and hot air, reducing the likelihood of water splashing and improving overall drying performance.

Implementation Method 1

After meeting with wet hot air, cooling water reduces the temperature of the hot air, to separate moisture from the hot air

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCondensation: Condensation

Implementation Method 2

cooling water reduces the temperature of the hot air, to separate moisture from the hot air

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat exchange: Heat Exchanger

Implementation Method 3

a water flow flows downward along the wall

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGravity-driven flow: Gravitation

Implementation Method 4

the protruding structure below the cooling water area causes turbulence with hot air for improved condensation

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTurbulence: Turbulence

Data Source

PatentEP3396055B1Clothes dryer including condensing apparatus
Publication Date: 2020.11.18 BSH HAUSGERATE GMBH
  • EP3396055B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2

AI summary

A clothes dryer including a condensing apparatus is provided, where the condensing apparatus (10) includes a hot air channel (4), in communication with a drying chamber (2), and a water supply apparatus (8), for feeding cooling water into the hot air channel (4), an inlet (41) of the hot air channel (4) being located at a lower location, an outlet (42) of the hot air channel (4) being located at a higher location, where at least one flow guide rib (11a, 11b) is formed on a wall (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d) of the hot air channel (4), an upper end (111a, 111b) of the flow guide rib (11a, 11b) is close to an outlet (81) of the water supply apparatus (8), a lower end (112a, 112b) thereof is close to the inlet (41) of hot air channel (4), and the flow guide rib (11a, 11b) and the wall (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d) of the hot air channel (4) define a cooling water flowing area (12) together. After entering the hot air channel, the cooling water subsequently enters the cooling water flowing area defined by the flow guide rib and the wall of the hot air channel together, and would not be splashed randomly. Therefore, a condensing effect is more stable, and condensing efficiency is improved.