Heat Pump Dryer Steam Nozzle Layout to Prevent Water Droplets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laundry treatment methods, including washing and drying, are time-consuming and energy-intensive, especially for laundry that is not visibly dirty but contaminated with odors and pollutants, requiring significant manual effort and resources.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treatment device equipped with a steam generator that uses a water tank, supply line, metering element, and nozzle to distribute water onto a heating element in the process air duct, generating steam before it enters the treatment chamber, ensuring efficient odor removal, smoothing, and cleaning without water droplet formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If water is supplied directly onto the heating element, then steam generation is efficient, but water droplets are carried away into the treatment chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The water is atomized into fine droplets before contacting the heating element, preparing it for rapid evaporation. The nozzle creates a spray pattern that ensures complete evaporation occurs within the duct, preventing droplet carryover into the treatment chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The water supply line is routed perpendicular to the process air flow direction, and the nozzle sprays water across the heating element surface rather than directly along the airflow path. This dimensional arrangement ensures water evaporates before being carried into the treatment chamber.
2Temperature
If the heating element is used solely for heating process air, then air temperature is maintained, but steam generation capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element serves dual purposes: heating the process air during normal operation and generating steam when water is supplied through the nozzle. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate steam generation equipment while maintaining air temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own heating element and process air to generate steam, rather than requiring an external steam generator. The process air itself serves as the medium for heat transfer to evaporate the water and create steam.
3Productivity
If water is supplied in a concentrated stream onto the heating element, then evaporation is rapid, but uneven distribution occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The water stream is divided into numerous fine droplets by the nozzle before contacting the heating element. This segmentation increases the total surface area of water exposed to heat, enabling rapid and uniform evaporation across the heating element surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle is positioned and angled to distribute water across different zones of the heating element surface. This creates localized water application points that collectively provide even coverage, ensuring uniform steam generation across the entire heating element.
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 device effectively generates high-quality steam within the duct, ensuring complete evaporation and efficient treatment of laundry items, reducing energy consumption and manual labor while providing effective odor removal and cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
water from the supply line is fed onto it [heating element]. The end of the supply line does not extend directly to the heating element, as a distribution element is positioned between the end of the line and the heating element. This element fans out or atomizes the water jet within the process air duct and distributes it onto the front surface of the heating element.
Implementation Method 2
the heating element is activated, causing it to heat up, and water from the supply line is fed onto it
Implementation Method 3
a fan for conveying process air through a circuit leading through the treatment chamber and the heating device
Implementation Method 4
This element fans out or atomizes the water jet within the process air duct and distributes it onto the front surface of the heating element. Because the fanned-out water jet is sprayed against the direction of the process airflow towards the heating element, it is intensely and finely swirled before it reaches the heating element or its hot surface.
Implementation Method 5
Due to the intensive turbulence, it is prevented that droplets, i.e., unevaporated water particles, are carried away from the heating element into the treatment chamber
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a laundry treatment device (1) with the following features: a treatment chamber, preferably a drum (3) for receiving laundry, which has an air inlet (6) and an air outlet (7); a unit comprising a heat pump; and an additional heating element (23) located in the process air duct (8, 8a). The laundry treatment device further comprises a steam generator (20) with a nozzle (24) for distributing the water exiting the supply line (21) in the process air duct (8, 8a), wherein the nozzle (24) is arranged downstream of the heating element (23) in the direction of flow of the process air.