Patent ID: 8572862
Filing Date: 2013-11-05
Classification: D06F,F26B,F28D,Y02B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. 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.