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US 7,603,791 B1Granted
Conditioning apparatus
OwnerJohn Griffininventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A conditioning apparatus for conditioning a treated fluid includes a conditioning chamber for containing a flow of a treated fluid and an exchange element disposed within said conditioning chamber having one or more fluid passages formed therein filled with a saline solution. The exchange element has a semi-permeable membrane that allows fluid transfer between said treated fluid and said saline solution through said semi-permeable membrane.
Claims17
An apparatus for drying a granular material comprising:
- a. a heat exchange element having one or more fluid passages coupled to a source of conditioning solution that flows through said heat exchange element;
- b. said heat exchange element including a semi-permeable membrane that allows fluid transfer between said granular material and said conditioning solution, such that the concentration of said conditioning solution changes from a first concentration level to a second concentration level;
- and
- c. said heat exchange element disposed within a conditioning chamber, and said granular material flows through said conditioning chamber and passes over said heat exchange element.
1 more element
A drying apparatus for drying a granular product comprising;
- a. a drying bin;
- b. one or more heat exchange elements disposed within said drying bin and coupled to a source of conditioning fluid that flows through said heat exchange elements;
- c. said heat exchange elements having a semi-permeable membrane that allows fluid in said granular product to pass through said semi-permeable membrane to said conditioning fluid;
- and
- d. a thermal conditioner to cool said conditioning fluid entering into said exchange elements.
2 more elements
An apparatus for drying a granular material comprising:
- a. a heat exchange element having one or more fluid passages coupled to a source of conditioning solution that flows through said heat exchange element;
- b. said heat exchange element including a semi-permeable membrane that allows fluid transfer between said granular material and said conditioning solution, such that the concentration of said conditioning solution changes from a first concentration level to a second concentration level;
- c. a thermal conditioner to thermally condition said conditioning solution in said heat exchange element to effect heat transfer between said granular material and said conditioning solution;
- and
- d. wherein the thermal conditioner heats the conditioning solution, and wherein the heated conditioning solution rejects heat into said granular material.
2 more elements
A clothes dryer comprising:
- a. a rotating drum adapted to contain clothing articles to be dried;
- b. an air recirculation path in communication with the drum to allow air to enter the drum and to receive air exiting the drum;
- c. a blower to circulate air through the air recirculation path to dry the clothing articles in the drum;
- and
- d. an exchange element disposed in the air recirculation path to remove moisture from the air exiting the drum, the exchange element having a semi-permeable membrane to allow fluid transfer between the circulating air and a conditioning solution flowing through the exchange element.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.