Patent ID: 8438751
Filing Date: 2013-05-14
Classification: D06F

Abstract:
1. A dryer comprising: a drying chamber, the drying chamber retaining items to be dried; a process air duct; a heater located in the process air duct, the heater being operable to heat process air; a heat exchanger arrangement; and a blower located in the process air duct, the blower being operable to advance process air from the heater through the drying chamber and thereafter through the heat exchanger arrangement, the heat exchanger arrangement being operable to remove heat from process air flowing from the drying chamber and to transfer the heat to process air flowing to the heater, the process air duct having an inlet air opening for drawing in process air from the surrounding environment in which the dryer is located and an exhaust opening for the expulsion of process air into the surrounding environment, and the process air duct being divided, at a dividing location between the drying chamber and the heat exchanger arrangement, into a main duct and a secondary duct, the main duct extending from the dividing location to the heat exchanger arrangement and conveying a first part of the process air flowing from the drying chamber to the heat exchanger, and the secondary duct extending from the dividing location along a path that bypasses the heat exchanger arrangement, the secondary duct having an evaporator and being communicated with the exhaust opening, the secondary duct conveying a second part of the process air flowing from the drying chamber to the evaporator, the evaporator being operable to evaporate condensate, which has been separated out from the first part of the process air in the heat exchanger arrangement, into the second part of the process air flowing to the exhaust opening.