Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling the drying cycle in a clothes dryer. The dryer controller measures differences between air inlet temperature and temperature of an air outlet, drum, and/or drum contents, from which it first estimates water weight of original drum contents based on changes in this temperature differential over a first period of time. A first dryness threshold is later reached when the amount of remaining water estimated by the temperature difference profiling reaches a threshold. A cooling cycle is then performed, followed by an estimation of remaining drying cycle time from estimating remaining water based on temperature differentials. The heater is then switched back on for the remaining time, after which a cooling cycle is preferably performed before ending the dryer cycle.

Abstract: A gas injector apparatus and method for use with a tracer gas airflow measurement system that allows for large, continuous tracer gas flow rates while avoiding operation at very cold temperatures that will damage equipment. The controlled and variable heating of high pressure tracer gas flow before a gas regulator allows all points in the system to remain above freezing, and within a safe temperature range. The system has a tracer gas source and a heater that heats the gas isobarically at high pressure (>100 psi) and the hot gas is expanded across a pressure regulator to a lower working pressure to ˜30 psi. The gas flow is modulated using a mass flow controller with a high turndown ratio and injected into a bulk fluid flow with an injector.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling the drying cycle in a clothes dryer. The dryer controller measures differences between air inlet temperature and temperature of an air outlet, drum, and/or drum contents, from which it first estimates water weight of original drum contents based on changes in this temperature differential over a first period of time. A first dryness threshold is later reached when the amount of remaining water estimated by the temperature difference profiling reaches a threshold. A cooling cycle is then performed, followed by an estimation of remaining drying cycle time from estimating remaining water based on temperature differentials. The heater is then switched back on for the remaining time, after which a cooling cycle is preferably performed before ending the dryer cycle.

Abstract: A gas injector apparatus and method for use with a tracer gas airflow measurement system that allows for large, continuous tracer gas flow rates while avoiding operation at very cold temperatures that will damage equipment. The controlled and variable heating of high pressure tracer gas flow before a gas regulator allows all points in the system to remain above freezing, and within a safe temperature range. The system has a tracer gas source and a heater that heats the gas isobarically at high pressure (>100 psi) and the hot gas is expanded across a pressure regulator to a lower working pressure to ˜30 psi. The gas flow is modulated using a mass flow controller with a high turndown ratio and injected into a bulk fluid flow with an injector.