Sorption Drying Layout for Dishwashers to Prevent Zeolite Overheating

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Solution Overview

Problem

Dishwashers with sorption drying systems face challenges in adequately and efficiently drying reversibly dehydratable sorption material, leading to incomplete drying and potential overheating during the desorption process.

Innovation Solution

A dishwasher design that incorporates a sorption drying system with a specific air duct configuration, including a slotted plate and coiled-pipe heater, ensures proper airflow and heating distribution within the sorption container, preventing overheating and ensuring complete drying and efficient regeneration of the sorption material.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a heater is arranged in front of the air inlet of the sorption column to prevent local overheating during desorption, then the risk of overheating is reduced, but the drying effectiveness of the sorption material remains insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoverheating riskVSAvoiddrying effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The sorption column is divided into multiple heating zones with separate heating elements distributed throughout the sorption material. This segmentation allows localized heating control, preventing overheating in any single area while ensuring comprehensive drying of the entire sorption material volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary drying of the sorption material using ambient moisture-laden air from the washing compartment before initiating the desorption process. This preliminary action reduces the moisture content to an optimal level, preparing the material for efficient desorption without requiring excessive heating during the regeneration phase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If the sorption column uses high temperatures for desorption to regenerate the sorption material, then the regeneration efficiency is improved, but energy consumption increases and risk of overheating rises

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveregeneration efficiencyVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The desorption process uses periodic heating cycles with multiple temperature stages rather than continuous high-temperature heating. The system alternates between heating phases and cooling phases, allowing moisture to be gradually removed from the sorption material. This periodic action achieves effective regeneration while significantly reducing peak energy consumption compared to continuous high-temperature operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system exploits phase transitions of water (from liquid to vapor) during desorption. By controlling temperature and air flow to facilitate controlled evaporation and condensation cycles within the sorption column, the latent heat of vaporization is utilized to efficiently remove moisture without requiring excessively high temperatures, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining regeneration effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #36Phase transitions

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

The design achieves reliable, energy-efficient, and compact drying of items in the washing tub, with improved sorption and desorption results, ensuring the sorption material is properly dried and regenerated for subsequent use.

Implementation Method 1

a sorption drying system TS with a sorption container SB, in which reversibly dehydratable sorption material ZEO is provided

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSorption: Sorption

Implementation Method 2

at least one heating device HZ, with which the air flow LS2 can be heated when flowing through the sorption container SB

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeating: Heating

Implementation Method 3

for regeneration, i.e. desorption of the sorption column, its reversibly dehydratable dry material is heated to very high temperatures

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDesorption: Desorption

Data Source

PatentEP2317904B2Dishwasher comprising a sorption drying device
Publication Date: 2018.08.08 BSH HAUSGERATE GMBH
  • EP2317904B2 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2317904B2 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2317904B2 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A dishwasher is provided, which has a washing container; an air-guiding channel to generate an air flow; and a sorption drying system to dry items to be washed, wherein the sorption drying system has a sorption container with reversibly dehydratable sorption material. The sorption container is connected to the washing container by the air-guiding channel and the reversibly dehydratable sorption material is one of a granular solid and a granulate with an average fill density of at least 500 kg/m3.