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A CLOTHES DRYER

[Category : - Cleaning devices]
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The idea of using residual heat from any HVAC or hot water system in a clothes dryer is not new, but the attempts we’ve seen so far were not able to fit into the common sizes of a conventional laundry dryer, making it hard to sell as a replacement for conventional dryers. Because as said before, space is an important constraint. It needs to fit into a 850x600x600 mm countertop-fitting box.

Patent no. EP3 224 403 B1/ WO2016083235 describes the following solution in detail:
• Being able to fit an extra heat exchanger and heat element into the back of a conventionally sized dryer, so that residual heat can be used as energy source in normally sized household appliances.

• Achieving this by redesigning the airflow within the laundry dryer in such a way so that air passes through the heat exchanger twice, reusing hot airflow, and therefore requiring a smaller heat exchanger and heating element.

• With the above redesign of the airflow, this also results in extra efficient energy usage in common laundry dryers with electrical-powered heat sources.

Financial information

The laundry dryer market is a $15 BLN market, growing towards $23 BLN in 2030. This is a huge market for devices that use energy to dry clothes. Roughly 4% of the domestic energy consumption is used to dry our clothes and therefore has a big impact on the environment. Anyone with space and time could hang their clothes to dry. But as ordinary people lack space and time, they resort to laundry dryers instead.
Conventional laundry dryers use electric current to heat up an element, to power a fan to move air through the heating element, and this air is then escorted outside of the dryer. A lot of energy is lost in the process!!
However, ideally would be to use residual heat when available, recover hot airflow of the dryer itself, and only as a last resort, use a heating element.
The idea of using residual heat from any HVAC or hot water system is not new, but the attempts we’ve seen so far were not able to fit into the common sizes of a conventional laundry dryer, making it hard to sell as a replacement for conventional dryers. Because as said before, space is an important constraint. It needs to fit into a 850x600x600 mm countertop-fitting box.
JRF Technologies Ltd was founded by two friends who spotted a gap in the conventional dryer market to help reduce the electricity consumption used by dryers. They managed to solve the above-mentioned spacing issue and managed to further optimize airflow, so that a residual heat exchanger and optional electrical heater can be fitted into a conventionally sized tumble dryer, enabling an unbelievable amount of energy saving potential.
Over the course of 2 years, 4 prototypes were built, and extensive tests were conducted in a climate chamber. Testing showed excellent results on energy saving and fast drying times within required space constraints.
Their wish is to share their patent with large manufacturers rather than using it on their own developed product so that the world can benefit from their findings, saving a huge amount of CO2 emissions.
Patent no. EP3 224 403 B1/ WO2016083235 describes the following solution in detail:
• Being able to fit an extra heat exchanger and heat element into the back of a conventionally sized dryer, so that residual heat can be used as energy source in normally sized household appliances.

• Achieving this by redesigning the airflow within the laundry dryer in such a way so that air passes through the heat exchanger twice, reusing hot airflow, and therefore requiring a smaller heat exchanger and heating element.

• With the above redesign of the airflow, this also results in extra efficient energy usage in common laundry dryers with electrical-powered heat sources.