Parallel Heat Pump Airflow Layout for Low-Resistance Laundry Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tumble dryers with heat pumps are energy-intensive, complex, and expensive, leading to prolonged drying times and inefficiencies due to the sequential arrangement of heat pump components, which increases flow resistance and energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A heat pump with parallel-connected cold and warm branches reduces flow resistance and energy consumption by allowing air to flow through both branches simultaneously, combined with a conventional heater and cooler, and a separator for moisture extraction, optimizing the drying process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a heat pump with sequential cold and warm branches is used, then moisture can be condensed and heat can be supplied to the air flow, but the flow resistance increases and energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air flow is divided into two separate streams that flow through the cold branch and warm branch simultaneously in parallel, rather than sequentially. This segmentation of the air flow path reduces the total flow resistance and allows both cooling and heating functions to operate concurrently, improving energy efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a sequential one-dimensional arrangement of heat pump components to a parallel two-dimensional configuration where cold and warm branches operate simultaneously. This dimensional change in the flow path architecture reduces flow resistance and enables concurrent heat exchange operations
2Volume of moving object
If the duct system is folded multiple times to fit household dimensions, then the device can be compact, but the flow resistance and throttling losses increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The duct system is divided into separate parallel pathways for the cold and warm branches, allowing each path to be optimized independently. This segmentation enables compact folding of the overall system while maintaining lower flow resistance in each individual path compared to a single long sequential path
3Productivity
If conventional heat pumps are used, then moisture can be condensed, but the drying time is prolonged and the system is expensive and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The air flow is segmented into parallel streams through the heat pump branches, enabling simultaneous cooling for condensation and heating for moisture removal. This parallel processing of air streams accelerates the drying process while maintaining a relatively simple system architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pump system performs multiple functions simultaneously - cooling the air flow for condensation in the cold branch and heating the air flow for efficient moisture evaporation in the warm branch. This multi-functionality increases drying productivity without proportionally increasing system complexity
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 configuration significantly reduces energy consumption, allowing for efficient drying of 1 kg of damp laundry in under 30 minutes, meeting energy efficiency class A standards, and improving performance by utilizing Peltier elements effectively.
Implementation Method 1
The patent describes a heat pump with a cold and warm branch that are connected in parallel, where corresponding parts of the air flow can flow through them in parallel. The Peltier elements are used to transfer heat between these branches, cooling one air stream while heating another simultaneously.
Implementation Method 2
a heater for heating the air stream before it is applied to the laundry
Implementation Method 3
a cooler for cooling the air stream after impacting the laundry
Implementation Method 4
a blower for driving the air stream
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a device and a method for drying laundry (1). In an essentially closed channel system (2) for conveying a stream of air (3) that acts on the laundry (1) are a treatment chamber (4) for loading the laundry (1), a blower (5) to drive the airflow, a heater (6) to heat the airstream (3) before it strikes the laundry (1), and a cooler (7) to cool the airstream (3) after it strikes the laundry (1). According to the invention, the airstream (3) flows through a heat pump (9, 10, 11) in the channel system (2), encompassing a pump unit (9), a cold branch (10), and a warm branch (11), which are joined to each other in parallel and through which the appropriate parts of the airstream (3) can flow in parallel.