Dishwasher Air Circulation Drying Module to Reduce Water Heating Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dishwashers consume excessive power for water heating during the drying cycle, and their drying performance can be inefficient due to the reliance on a typical water heating method, which does not effectively address the evaporation of moisture on dishes.
Innovation Solution
A dishwasher design that uses a drying module with independently controlled PTC heaters and a fan system to circulate and heat air, adjusting temperature and airflow to enhance drying efficiency, while omitting the water heating course and discharging moist air outside to reduce power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If water heating course is used for drying dishes, then drying function is achieved, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the drying parameter from water heating to air heating. Instead of heating water to high temperatures for drying, the system heats air to a lower temperature range (40-60°C) and circulates it through the tub, achieving effective drying with significantly reduced energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the thermal-mechanical water heating system with an air circulation and heating system. The drying function previously achieved by heating water is now accomplished by circulating and heating air, substituting one mechanical-thermal system with another more energy-efficient system.
2Productivity
If air temperature is increased to improve drying efficiency, then drying performance increases, but power consumption for heating increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the air heating system dynamic and adjustable. Multiple heaters can be independently controlled, and the fan speed can be varied, allowing the system to adapt air temperature and circulation based on drying needs, achieving high drying efficiency without excessive energy consumption through optimized operational parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating system is divided into multiple independent heaters that can be controlled separately. This segmentation allows selective activation of heating zones, enabling efficient drying of different areas without uniformly heating the entire space, thus reducing overall power consumption while maintaining drying effectiveness.
3Loss of energy
If moist air is retained inside the tub to maintain temperature, then thermal energy is preserved, but dehumidification becomes necessary requiring additional power
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts moist air from the tub interior and discharges it to the external environment through the cabinet opening. By removing the moist air rather than attempting to dehumidify it, the system avoids the energy consumption associated with dehumidification processes while maintaining thermal efficiency through controlled air exchange.
4Manufacturing precision
If uniform drying across all tub regions is achieved, then drying quality improves, but air circulation system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs asymmetric air circulation patterns with the suction port positioned higher than the exhaust port, creating a natural convection flow. The flow-path unit is designed with asymmetric geometry that promotes uniform air distribution throughout the tub without requiring complex mechanical circulation systems, achieving drying uniformity through clever geometric design rather than complex mechanisms.
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 approach reduces energy usage by 20-30% and improves drying performance by adjusting air temperature and flow rate, ensuring uniform drying across different regions within the tub without additional power consumption for dehumidification.
Implementation Method 1
at least two heaters provided inside the exhaust duct for heating the air
Implementation Method 2
The heaters may be positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heaters
Implementation Method 3
a fan for supplying the air to the heaters
Implementation Method 4
evaporating water on the surface of dishes by heating only air
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a heating circulation type drying module of a dishwasher using a fan module and PTC heaters. The dishwasher includes a cabinet defining the external appearance, a tub provided in the cabinet, a door for opening or closing the tub, a flow-path unit for circulating air inside the tub through a suction port and an exhaust port, which communicate with the tub, a suction duct for communicating with the suction port, an exhaust duct for communicating with the suction duct and the exhaust port, at least two heaters provided inside the exhaust duct for heating the air, and a fan for supplying the air to the heaters. The dishwasher may achieve improved drying performance via adjustment in the temperature of air to be discharged, and may reduce power consumption via omission of a rinsing water heating course.