Freeze-thaw air dryer
OwnerRichard H. Conradinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A freeze-thaw air dryer utilizes a heat pump to remove moisture from air by cooling the air to below the freezing point of water, causing the water to pass directly from the vapor state to the solid state and thereby to be removed from the flow of air. The vapor frozen on the cold surfaces is periodically thawed by either turning off or reversing the heat pump, and the condensate and thawed ice are automatically drained out of the device without interruption of the airflow. The geometry of the cold surfaces and the generally centripetal airflow path are designed expressly to cause a buildup of ice without impairing efficiency or blocking the airflow.
Claims19
An air dryer for removing moisture from air, said air dryer comprising:
- a housing member;
- at least one air inlet in said housing member;
- at least one freezing surface in said housing member, said freezing surface including a primary freezing surface generally surrounding a secondary freezing surface, said freezing surface defining an internal volume having a generally centripetal airflow path, said airflow path having a generally central terminus, said freezing surface including thermal means for selectively providing a generally centripetal temperature gradient;
- a dry air extraction outlet proximate said airflow path terminus;
- and
- drain means for removal of liquid from said housing member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.