Floor assembly for a device for drying laundry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ambient air mixing with process air and bypass flows within the heat exchanger housing in laundry drying appliances lead to reduced efficiency and effectiveness, as conventional designs are air-permeable and lack effective sealing.
Innovation Solution
A floor assembly with a heat exchanger housing featuring a cover part and projections that create a sealed channel section between heat exchangers, using a sealing element to prevent ambient air intrusion and bypass flows, eliminating the need for lateral side walls and reducing material costs and design constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional heat exchanger housing with air-permeable design is used, then manufacturing is simpler and cost-effective, but ambient air mixes with process air and bypass flows occur reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger housing is segmented into distinct sealed channels using partition walls and sealing elements. The process air flow path is divided into separate channels that are airtight, preventing mixing with ambient air while maintaining structural organization. This segmentation allows efficient air flow management without requiring complete housing enclosure.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure implements local sealing at critical positions where ambient air intrusion occurs, rather than sealing the entire housing. Sealing elements are strategically placed at channel entrances, exits, and junction points to prevent bypass flows and ambient air mixing, maintaining simplicity in non-critical areas while ensuring efficiency where needed.
2Productivity
If sealed housing structure is implemented to prevent ambient air mixing, then drying effectiveness improves, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Flexible sealing elements and gaskets are used to create airtight seals between housing components and heat exchangers. These thin film sealing solutions provide effective sealing without requiring complex rigid structures, making assembly straightforward and maintaining manufacturing ease while ensuring drying effectiveness through proper sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
Sealing elements act as intermediary components between the housing structure and heat exchangers, creating the necessary airtight barriers. These intermediary sealing components simplify the overall manufacturing process by providing modular sealing solutions that can be easily installed and replaced without affecting the main housing structure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional side walls with bushings are used for refrigerant lines, then structural support is provided, but sealing complexity increases and design flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant line sealing function is extracted from the main housing side walls and relocated to dedicated sealing positions on the heat exchanger housings themselves. This extraction eliminates the need for complex side wall bushings and seals, simplifying the housing structure while maintaining refrigerant line sealing integrity and improving design flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of routing refrigerant lines through the main housing walls with complex bushings, the sealing approach is inverted by providing dedicated sealing interfaces directly on the heat exchanger housings. This inversion simplifies the overall structure by eliminating intermediate sealing components and providing greater design freedom for refrigerant line routing.
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 solution ensures airtight sealing of the process air system, enhancing drying effectiveness and energy efficiency by preventing ambient air mixing and bypass flows, while allowing for optimized condenser and evaporator designs without additional structural changes.
Implementation Method 1
the duct section of the process air system formed between the heat exchangers is sealed airtight on a side facing away from the installation floor by means of at least one sealing element
Implementation Method 2
a heat exchanger (evaporator) that cools and dehumidifies the process air exiting the drying chamber
Implementation Method 3
a heat exchanger (condenser) that heats the process air to be supplied to the drying chamber
Implementation Method 4
The evaporation of the refrigerant takes place mainly in the evaporator of the heat pump. The refrigerant then travels as a gas to a compressor in the heat pump
Implementation Method 5
The refrigerant flows to the evaporator as a mixture of liquid and gas. The refrigerant then travels as a gas to a compressor in the heat pump, where it is compressed.
Implementation Method 6
The compressed refrigerant travels from the compressor to the condenser of the heat pump, where it liquefies while releasing heat.
Implementation Method 7
The liquefied refrigerant passes from the condenser into an expansion element, in particular a valve, an orifice or a capillary, in which the internal pressure of the refrigerant is reduced and in which the refrigerant is already partially converted back into gas.
Data Source
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AI summary
Base assembly (1) for a laundry drying device, comprising a heat pump (6) with heat exchangers (7, 8) that can be thermally coupled to a process air system of the device, and a heat exchanger housing (5) in which the heat exchangers (7, 8) are arranged, wherein the heat exchanger housing (5) has a base (16) on which the heat exchangers (7, 8) are mounted, and a cover (9) covering the heat exchangers (7, 8) on a side facing away from the base (16). In order to prevent ambient air from mixing with process air flowing through the base assembly (1) and to prevent the formation of bypass process air flows within the heat exchanger housing (5), the cover (9) has a lid element (13) covering the heat exchangers (7, 8) on the side facing away from the base (16) and two parallel sections connected to the lid element (13).The projections (14) are spaced apart from one another and extend at least to the base (16), running at least partially between the heat exchangers (7, 8) and at least indirectly contacting them, wherein a channel section (21) of the process air system formed between the heat exchangers (7, 8) is sealed airtight on a side facing away from the base (16) by means of at least one sealing element (19) which is arranged on a side of the cover element (13) facing the base (16), and laterally by means of the projections (14).