Laundry Dryer Fluid Diffuser Design for Evaporator Self-Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry devices face inefficiencies due to impurities like fluff accumulating on evaporators, reducing the effectiveness of heat exchange mechanisms during the drying process.
Innovation Solution
A laundry device with a collection container below the evaporator, a pump to flush impurities using a fluid diffuser, and a controlled water flow channel to efficiently remove fluff from the evaporator and condenser.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If an evaporator is used to condense water and remove humidity from air during the drying process, then the drying efficiency is improved, but impurities such as fluff accumulate on the evaporator surface, reducing heat exchange efficiency over time
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses its own condensed water to automatically flush and clean the evaporator surface. The pump directs condensed water through diffusers onto the evaporator, creating a self-cleaning mechanism that removes accumulated impurities without external intervention, thereby maintaining heat exchange efficiency while preserving drying productivity
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the condensed water from the collection container, the system recovers and reuses it for flushing the evaporator. This transforms waste water into a cleaning resource, eliminating the need for separate cleaning systems while maintaining evaporator performance
2Reliability
If a pump and fluid diffuser system is added to flush impurities from the evaporator, then the reliability of heat exchange is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The condensed water collection system serves dual purposes: it collects waste water for removal and simultaneously provides a cleaning source for the evaporator. The pump and diffuser system, while adding components, create a multi-functional setup where the same water handling infrastructure performs both waste removal and surface cleaning functions
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses hydraulic principles by utilizing the flow of pumped water through controlled channels and diffusers to mechanically flush impurities from the evaporator surface. This hydraulic cleaning approach replaces complex mechanical scraping or brushing mechanisms with a simpler fluid-based cleaning system
3Reliability
If condensed water is continuously pumped through the diffuser onto the evaporator, then impurity removal is improved, but water consumption and energy use increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pump operates periodically rather than continuously, activating at intervals to flush accumulated impurities from the evaporator surface. This periodic operation reduces energy consumption while maintaining evaporator cleanliness by removing impurities before they significantly degrade heat exchange efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system recycles condensed water that would otherwise be discarded, using it as the flushing medium for evaporator cleaning. This eliminates the need for additional water consumption while maintaining cleaning effectiveness, and the pump only needs to move already-collected water rather than sourcing new water
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
Efficiently maintains the performance of evaporators and condensers by regularly flushing away impurities, allowing for effective drying and reducing water content in laundry.
Implementation Method 1
the evaporator is configured to cool down the air supplied by the air inlet to condense water at the evaporator during cooling of the air
Implementation Method 2
the laundry device comprises a pump configured to pump the water collected in the collection container via the pumping line into the at least one fluid diffuser
Implementation Method 3
the at least one fluid diffuser is configured to feed the pumped water onto the evaporator to flush the impurities, in particular the fluff, from the evaporator into the collection container
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a
AI summary
Laundry device, wherein the laundry device comprises at least one fluid diffuser configured to feed pumped water onto an evaporator to flush impurities, in particular fluff, from the evaporator into a collection container, wherein the at least one fluid diffuser comprises an inner flow channel for conducting the pumped water, wherein the flow channel comprises an inlet section, an intermediate section and an outlet section, wherein the pumped water enters the at least one diffuser through the inlet section, flows through the intermediate section along a flow direction and exits the at least one diffuser through the outlet section, wherein a recess is formed in the intermediate section at a bottom wall of the flow channel, wherein the recess extends over a first width of the flow channel between two side walls of the flow channel, wherein downstream of the recess in the outlet section an elevation of the bottom wall is formed in the flow channel, wherein the elevation is adapted to dam up the pumped water and allow the pumped water to flow over the elevation along a second width of the flow channel between the two side walls of the flow channel.