Patent GB-891396-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to apparatus for drying an air stream
IPC: F24F3/14
Filed: 1958-07-18
Abstract: 891,396. Air-conditioning. LIZENZIA A.G. July 18, 1958 [July 19, 1957], No. 23156/58. Class 137 [Also in Group XIII] Apparatus for drying an air-stream comprises a motor-driven rotor mounted in a casing, the rotor being composed of a hygroscopic mass having axial ducts extending therethrough, the arrangement being such that the air stream to be dried is passed through a first zone of the rotor while a regenerating air stream is passed through a second zone of the rotor, a heating element being provided to heat the regenerating air stream before it passes through the second zone so as to remove moisture deposited therein and a further air stream being provided which removes heat from the motor and mixes with the regenerating air stream before it is heated by the heating element. Air is dried in an annular rotor 32, Fig. 1, formed of upper and lower caps 28, 30 between which alternating plain and corrugated sheets of asbestos are spirally wound on a hub 34 to provide axial ducts. The sheets are retained between the caps by upper and lower seals 85, 86 comprising outer and inner flat annuli 88, 90 respectively connected together by two and three spokes respectively, the spokes of the upper seal 85 being located in radial alignmet with chambers 102, 104 into which the upper cap is divided by radial partitions (not shown) and the spokes of the lower seal 86, Fig. 6, are located in radial alignment with radial partitions (not shown) which divide the lower cap into chambers 120, 122, 124, Fig. 3, (not shown). The rotor is driven by a motor 24 mounted within the rotor mass by a shaft journalled to a spring-urged pivoted arm 66 carrying a gear wheel 68 which is in driving engagement with teeth 46 on a central rib 44 of the rotor. The motor also drives a fan 22 and a heating element 126 is mounted on a central closure plate of the cap 30 beneath the motor. An air stream to be dried is drawn from a room 154, Fig. 7, through a conduit 156, duct 16 and filter 18 by the fan and through apertures 106 in the cap 28 into the chamber 102 and thence through the ducts in the rotor for drying, the major portion of which stream passes into the lower chamber 120 and thereafter through conduits 152, 162 back to the room. A smaller portion of the air passes through the ducts to the chamber 124 to pre-cool the material of the rotor after it has been heated during regeneration and passes through openings 136, 138 in a cover 128 about the heater. Within the cover this portion of air is mixed with a further stream which enters through perforations 134 in a central plate 132 on the upper cap 28 and passes over and cools the motor and the combined streams pass through the chamber 122 and through the rotor to regenerate the material therein, the upper chamber 104 and conduits 108, 166 to the atmosphere . A supply of ambient air is fed through a conduit 164 to replace the portion of air utilised in the regeneration process, which supply and the pressure within the apparatus is controlled by valves 158, 168, 170, 172 in conduits 156, 162, 164 and 166 respectively.