Dryer Cooling Air Routing for Heat Loss Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional household laundry dryers, such as tumble dryers, face inadequate energy management due to additional heat leaks and inefficient energy recovery, leading to higher energy consumption than necessary.
Innovation Solution
A domestic appliance design that includes a housing with a container for laundry, a process air duct, a heat exchanger, a heater, and a cooling air duct, featuring an adjustable air guiding device with a valve system controlled by a unit that manages cooling air flow based on operating phases to optimize energy use, minimizing heat losses and leveraging heat for further use within the appliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling air is continuously supplied to the heat exchanger, then the heat exchanger is kept at optimal operating temperature, but heat losses increase during heating phases
Solution Approach 1:
The air guiding device dynamically adjusts the routing of cooling air based on the operating phase. During heating phases, cooling air is diverted away from the heat exchanger to prevent heat losses, while during drying phases, cooling air is directed to the heat exchanger to maintain optimal operating temperature. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between maintaining temperature and preventing energy loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the flow parameters of cooling air based on operational requirements. By varying the amount and direction of cooling air supplied to the heat exchanger according to different operating phases (heating vs. drying), the system optimizes both temperature control and energy efficiency, resolving the contradiction between these two parameters.
2Productivity
If cooling air flow is increased, then heat exchanger cooling efficiency improves, but energy management deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The air guiding device enables dynamic control of cooling air flow to the heat exchanger based on the drying process phase. During heating phases, cooling air flow is minimized or diverted, improving energy management. During active drying phases, cooling air flow is increased to enhance heat exchanger cooling efficiency. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between cooling efficiency and energy management.
3Device complexity
If the air guiding device is simplified with fewer components, then device complexity reduces, but control precision over cooling air routing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The air guiding device is designed as a multi-functional component that handles multiple routing decisions (to environment, to housing interior, to heat exchanger) using a unified structure. This universal design allows the system to maintain precise control over cooling air routing while avoiding the need for multiple separate control mechanisms, thus resolving the contradiction between device complexity and control precision.
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 design enhances energy management by phase-dependent heat dissipation and reuse, reducing energy consumption and maintaining efficient operation across different drying phases, while maintaining a compact and cost-effective design.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger which is coupled to the process air duct and for dehumidification of the process air emerging from the container
Implementation Method 2
a cooling air duct for guiding cooling air from an environment of the household appliance for cooling the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 3
a heater, which is coupled to the process air duct and is embodied for heating the process air
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a domestic device 1 for the care of laundry items. The device 1 has a housing 3, in which are disposed a container 4, accommodating laundry items, a process air guide 5 which is coupled with the container (4), process air flowing through the container 4, a heat exchanger 6 which is coupled with the process air guide 5 and which is constructed for removing moisture from the process air emerging from the container 4, and a cooling air guide 10 for passing cool air from the surroundings (2) of the domestic device (1) for cooling the heat exchanger 6. Pursuant to the invention, an air-guiding device 16, 17, which is disposed in the cooling guide 10, can be adjusted in such a manner that, alternatively, the cooling air supplied to the heat exchanger 6 can be guided at least partially from the domestic device 1 to the surroundings 2, or the cooling air supplied to the heat exchanger 6 can be guided at least partly into the domestic device 1 and, through the slots 18 in the housing, back into the surroundings 2. The invention also relates to a method for passing cooling air into such a domestic device 1.