Open-loop heat-recovery dryer
AssigneeBattelle Memorial Institute
InventorWard Evan TeGrotenhuis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A drying apparatus is disclosed that includes a drum and an open-loop airflow pathway originating at an ambient air inlet, passing through the drum, and terminating at an exhaust outlet. A passive heat exchanger is included for passively transferring heat from air flowing from the drum toward the exhaust outlet to air flowing from the ambient air inlet toward the drum. A heat pump is also included for actively transferring heat from air flowing from the passive heat exchanger toward the exhaust outlet to air flowing from the passive heat exchanger toward the drum. A heating element is also included for further heating air flowing from the heat pump toward the drum.
Claims15
A drying apparatus, comprising:
- a drying chamber for containing articles to be dried;
- an open-loop airflow pathway originating at an ambient air inlet, passing through the drying chamber, and terminating at an exhaust outlet;
- an air pump for inducing air to flow through the airflow pathway in a direction from the ambient air inlet toward the exhaust outlet;
- a passive heat exchanger for passively transferring heat from air flowing from the drying chamber toward the exhaust outlet to air flowing from the ambient air inlet toward the drying chamber;
- a heat pump for actively transferring heat from air flowing from the passive heat exchanger toward the exhaust outlet to air flowing from the passive heat exchanger toward the drying chamber;
- and
- a heating element for heating air flowing from the heat pump toward the drying chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.