Dishwasher Intake Duct Layout to Prevent Heat Pump Air Recirculation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Dishwashers with heat pumps face efficiency reduction due to recirculation of cooled air and dust accumulation in the heat exchanger, which decreases energy efficiency and leads to clogging.
Innovation Solution
The air duct is coupled with an intake duct that protrudes beyond the dishwasher's front side, allowing air to be drawn from the kitchen space rather than the area under the skirting board, and includes a filter and adjustable design to prevent dust accumulation, along with a method for reversing fan direction and speed during a cleaning step to enhance filter and heat exchanger cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the air inlet is positioned in the base area of the dishwasher, then the heat pump can extract heat from ambient air, but cooled air discharged from the rear may recirculate back into the air duct, reducing heat pump efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The air inlet opening is extracted from the base area and repositioned to protrude beyond the front side of the base, allowing the intake duct to draw air from the kitchen space instead. This spatial extraction prevents recirculation of cooled air while maintaining the heat pump's ability to extract heat from ambient air.
Solution Approach 2:
The air inlet is moved from a two-dimensional plane within the base to a three-dimensional position extending beyond the front side of the base. This dimensional change allows the intake duct to access a different air source zone (kitchen space) that is spatially separated from the discharge area, eliminating recirculation.
2Device complexity
If the air inlet is positioned in the base area behind the skirting board, then the structure is compact, but house dust accumulates in this area and clogs the evaporator heat exchanger
Solution Approach 1:
The air intake function is extracted from the dust-prone base area behind the skirting board and relocated to the kitchen space through the protruding intake duct. This separates the air intake function from the harmful dust environment while maintaining structural compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
The intake duct acts as an intermediary element that bridges the kitchen space and the base area, allowing clean air to be drawn from the kitchen space while preventing direct contact between the heat exchanger and dust-laden air from the base area.
3Reliability
If the air duct is extended beyond the front side of the base, then recirculation of cooled air is prevented, but the device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The air duct system is segmented into two functional parts: the air duct within the base and the protruding intake duct extending beyond the front side. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function optimally while simplifying the overall design and installation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The intake duct is designed with adjustable or flexible characteristics, allowing it to be adapted to different installation situations. This dynamic design reduces installation complexity while maintaining the reliability benefit of preventing air recirculation.
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 reduces the recirculation of cooled air and dust-laden air, increasing energy efficiency and extending the service life of the heat exchanger and filter by preventing clogging and maintaining high performance.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger of an evaporator of the heat pump circuit is arranged. The evaporator extracts heat from the air passing by
Implementation Method 2
a fan for generating an air flow that leads through the heat exchanger
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a dishwasher (1) for cleaning dishes in a wash chamber (2), comprising a heat pump circuit with a heat exchanger (6) which, together with a fan (7), is arranged in an air duct (5), wherein the air duct (5) has an air outlet located in a base (4) of the dishwasher. The dishwasher (1) is characterized in that the air duct (5) is coupled to an intake duct (10) which projects beyond a front face of the base (4) with an air inlet opening. The invention further relates to an operating method for such a dishwasher (1).