Heat reflux drying machine utilizing inlet/outlet air temperature difference to condense water
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drying devices waste thermal and electric energy as hot air is not dehumidified and does not perform heat exchange with external air for heat recycling.
Innovation Solution
A heat recycling drying machine utilizes an inlet/outlet air temperature difference to condense water, where hot air containing water is cooled through a vertically bent fluid pipeline, allowing water condensation and the thermal energy to preheat external air, reducing thermal energy loss and saving electric energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If hot air is discharged directly to the exterior without heat exchange, then the drying function is simple to implement, but thermal energy is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested pipeline structure where the hot air pipeline is positioned inside or adjacent to the cold air intake pipeline. The hot air pipeline carries exhaust hot air from the drying chamber, while the cold air pipeline introduces fresh ambient air. The two pipelines are thermally coupled through insulation layers with heat transfer surfaces, allowing the hot air to preheat the incoming cold air through wall conduction, thereby recovering thermal energy without complex external heat exchangers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the air handling system into distinct functional sections: a cold air intake section with its own pipeline, a hot air exhaust section with its own pipeline, and a mixing section where the two air streams combine. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each section while achieving overall heat recovery. The pipelines are divided into zones with different insulation requirements based on their thermal environment.
2Loss of energy
If hot air is not dehumidified before discharge, then the system operation is simple, but water condensation and energy loss occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary cooling action by routing the hot exhaust air through the cold air intake pipeline before the air enters the drying chamber. The cold ambient air flowing through the intake pipeline cools the hot exhaust air in advance, reducing its temperature and relative humidity. This preliminary dehumidification occurs passively through the pipeline wall heat transfer, eliminating the need for active condensation removal systems while preventing energy loss.
3Use of energy by moving object
If external air is not preheated before entering the heating device, then the heating process is efficient, but energy savings are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cold air intake function with the heat recovery function into a single integrated pipeline structure. The cold air pipeline serves dual purposes: introducing fresh ambient air to the drying chamber and simultaneously acting as a heat exchanger to preheat this air using the hot exhaust air. This merging eliminates the need for separate preheating equipment and reduces overall system complexity while improving energy efficiency.
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 machine effectively recycles thermal energy by condensing water in the hot air section and using the thermal energy to preheat external air, thereby reducing energy waste and saving electric energy.
Implementation Method 1
the temperature difference between the above two enabling the hot air containing water to be cooled, thereby causing water condensation
Implementation Method 2
causing water condensation. The condensed water is collected or flows with a first part of the hot air
Implementation Method 3
The thermal energy of the hot air passing through the vertically bent fluid pipeline is utilized to preheat the external air having a relative low temperature passing through the cold air section
Data Source
AI summary
Hot air containing water is discharged from a heating space to pass through a vertically bent fluid pipeline (1035) formed by an hot air section (1030) of a water condensing pipeline structure (1029) and a vertically bent flow guiding structure (1032). Meanwhile, external inlet air having relatively low temperature is pumped through an cold air section (1031) of the water condensing pipeline structure (1029) to enable the hot air to be cooled, thereby condensing the water contained in the hot air. The condensed water is collected or flows with a first part of the hot air to pass through an hot air shunt port (1026) for being guided to an external discharging port (109). A second part of the hot air is guided by the hot air shunt port (1026) to flow towards a hot air return inlet (1022), thereby reducing the thermal energy loss and saving electric energy.