Ultrasonic dryers

[cleanteamofny]

I don't know if we ever covered this but it is new to me!
Ultrasonic dryers:

Warning turn your volume down!






When do you think we will see this online?

 

[rolls_rapide]

I think it will be some years away. In the case of the tumble dryer drum, it might never work properly at all.

The problem is: the scientist put a swatch of fabric perfectly flat, in contact with the transducer. And it worked perfectly. This probably would work if scaled up to the size of a press-ironing machine.

A tumble dryer drum knots up laundry. Items roll up, fold, etc. I surmise that some items will dry quite readily (silk shirts, blouses, lycra garments). I also surmise that jeans, trousers, towels and bed sheets might never dry properly.

Perhaps they will have to use ultrasonics in combination with heatpump condenser technologies?

 

[henene4]

Vacuum dryers

That reminds me of the idea of a vacuum clothes dryer.

As you lower the air pressure, the boiling point of water drops as well.
A university in Switzerland I think had a programm running on this. It turned out that they could reach A-50% ratings (that was before the +++ days), but had a lot of struggle with the vacuum pumps and further more heat transfer to the laundry as there was barely any air left.
So, they found a technolgy that could have gotten the thing in clothes drying, if it wasn't for heatpump dryers already being as efficent.

I suppose this technology will go a simmilar way. Promising technology that could work, but is outdated before it even hits the market.

 

[earthling177]

I hope they make it work. Like pointed out above, they'll probably still need to use some warm/hot air in a tumble dryer, if they go that way, so as to help remove wrinkles and dry parts the ultrasound did not properly reach efficiently.

The other problem is that since the '50s or so they've been promising an ultra-sound washer, and while that can be readily demonstrated in a lab setting, with a couple of garments in the tub, it has not been possible to make it work for a full load like ordinary washers do -- there are all kinds of problems, from uneven cleaning to damage to fabrics (particularly synthetics) that weld to each other in the presence of some forms of ultra-sound energy.

Still, it's cool that they are studying it!

 

[cleanteamofny]

Well at least they been working on this for more or less 5 years, I'd like to know if this new system is capable of doing 20 lbs loads?

 

[vacerator]

The noise

may be the biggest hurdle. The Super section has an article on these posted yesterday as well. Lower energy use, faster drying times, sounds promising.
My Dad had told me back in the 80's Whirlpool was testing ultrasonic washers.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

Cool tech.

The presser seems like it'd be workable, however you'd need to have sufficient dedicated space for it. That's a big issue in small apartments. Also, you'd have to do each piece manually. I wonder if they'd turn out to be like exercise bikes, treadmills, etc.: the people who use them regularly for years on end all seem to have them in front of their TV or large computer screen. I'm just thinking of my own experience. The one time I had a dedicated ironing area and could leave everything set up all the time I found I didn't mind ironing...

"Perhaps they will have to use ultrasonics in combination with heatpump condenser technologies?"

Maybe such a combination would allow a workable 120v ventless unit that didn't take forever. Yes, I'm shamelessly combining this topic with that of another thread and my own obsession

Jim

P.S. I looked for the "Drago" unit briefly mentioned at the end of one vid but found nothing.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Sllghtly off topic still Ultrasonic

I remember seeing a movie, yes movie on 16mm reel to reel, in 8th grade science class where they were showing GE's kitchen of the future.  In the film GE was experimenting with an ultrasonic dishwasher as well as clothes washing. 

 

Their innovation at that time for clothes drying was the use of microwaves.  I would think one could see the dangers of overheated metal zippers being zapped by microwaves; maybe that's why we never saw that technology in real life.

 

 

[earthling177]

Indeed, Harley, the last I've heard (about 10 years ago or so) is that the microwave dryer did have problems with zippers, buttons and other metal things. Bummer.