Apparatus for drying rooms within a building
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for drying water-damaged buildings are inefficient outside optimal temperature/humidity ranges and lack real-time monitoring, leading to potential secondary damage and energy wastage due to uncertainty in completion of the drying process.
Innovation Solution
A drying apparatus that continuously monitors air temperature, humidity, wall and floor conditions, and electrical conductivity, using a heater, air circulation fans, and sensors to control the drying process, with energy recording and remote communication for efficient drying and timely relocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If direct heating is used to raise air temperature for drying, then drying speed is improved, but relative humidity increases rapidly causing secondary damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous monitoring of temperature and humidity levels with automatic feedback control. Sensors detect environmental conditions and feed this information back to the control system, which adjusts heating and dehumidification operations accordingly. This prevents excessive humidity buildup that causes secondary damage while maintaining efficient drying speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes operating parameters (temperature setpoints, humidity thresholds, fan speeds) based on real-time environmental conditions and drying stage. During different phases of the drying process, the control system adjusts these parameters to optimize drying efficiency while preventing harmful humidity spikes that would cause secondary damage.
2Quantity of substance
If dehumidification using refrigeration or desiccant process is used, then moisture removal is improved, but efficiency decreases outside optimal temperature/humidity range
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic operation modes that adapt to current environmental conditions. The system can switch between refrigeration-based dehumidification, desiccant-based dehumidification, and direct heating methods depending on the temperature and humidity levels. This dynamic adaptation maintains high dehumidification efficiency across varying conditions rather than relying on a single method optimized for narrow parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system changes operational parameters including selecting different dehumidification methods, adjusting refrigeration cycle parameters, and modifying desiccant regeneration timing based on ambient temperature and humidity. This ensures optimal efficiency is maintained across the full range of environmental conditions encountered during building drying operations.
3Device complexity
If conventional drying methods are used without constant moisture monitoring, then equipment complexity is reduced, but drying completion uncertainty increases leading to energy wastage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous feedback monitoring of moisture levels in building materials using sensors that measure humidity and electrical conductivity. This feedback provides real-time information on drying progress, allowing the system to automatically terminate operation when drying objectives are achieved, thereby eliminating energy wastage from continued operation while maintaining relatively simple monitoring equipment.
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
Ensures efficient and controlled drying by optimizing energy use and providing real-time monitoring, minimizing secondary damage and energy wastage, and enabling timely reoccupation of buildings.
Implementation Method 1
direct heating. This raises the temperature of the air in the room and the moisture in the walls and floor is removed due to accelerated evaporation
Implementation Method 2
air circulation fans, such as an inlet fan and an outlet fan
Implementation Method 3
sensors in the room and on or in the apparatus which sense air or surface humidity. This may conveniently be achieved by temperature and humidity sensors positioned at the intake end of the intake fan and by corresponding sensors upstream of the exhaust fan, which may be further enhanced by sensors embedded in or on wall surfaces of the room in various chosen locations, such as the floor, walls and roof, to detect humidity levels or electrical conductivity indicative of humidity levels
Implementation Method 4
dehumidification by the use of refrigeration techniques. This usually involves the removal of moisture from the air using refrigerated surfaces which allow water to condense from the air
Implementation Method 5
dehumidification using desiccants such as Silica Gel
Data Source
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AI summary
Drying apparatus (1, 1') for installation within a sealed damp or waterlogged room, the apparatus including sensing means (10, 12, 13) to sense the level of humidity within the room, heating means (3) to provide heat for the room, air circulation means (4, 6) for selectively circulating heated air within the room or selectively exhausting warm and humid air from the room and for allowing outside ambient air into the room, the apparatus also including sensor means (9, 10,11, 12, 13) for measuring selected characteristics indicative of water content within the room and means (6, 15) for cyclically changing the air within the room when a predetermined level of air humidity is reached, the apparatus being adapted to cyclically continue until the sensed humidity reaches a required level, the apparatus thereafter indicating, directly or indirectly, the completion of the drying process. A method of drying a room using such apparatus as also disclosed.