Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the drying cycle of a dryer by utilizing fuzzy logic control. Control is accomplished by first monitoring the moisture level of a clothes load in the dryer. From the monitored moisture information, variables such as the elapsed time from the start of the drying cycle to a point when no significant moisture is detected for a specified time period and the number of times higher moisture registrations occur during another specified time period are determined. Based on the determined variables, fuzzy logic is used to determine characteristics particular to the clothes load being dried, such as size of the load. Using the determined characteristics in conjunction with user settings more accurate control of the time of drying heat application, reduced drying heat application and cool down time can be accomplished.

Abstract: An arrangement for drying material in a selected drying location by a heated and flowing drying stream wherein the temperature and relative humidity levels of the drying stream are sensed upstream and downstream of such selected drying location and are relatively and comparatively controlled to arrive at a selected treated material moisture with comparatively minimal energy input.

Abstract: The circulating type grain drying machine is provided in which, at the grain filling operation, a controller causes a first heated air generator to operate and a second heated air generator to stop operating, and also causes, according to the detected values of the outside air humidity from an outside air humidity detector, an airflow control section to operate so as to change the quantity of the airflow by an air exhaust section. Also, at the drying operation, the controller controls the first heated air generator and controls the temperature of the heated air supplied into each heating pipe according to the detected values of the grain water content value, and controls the second heated air generator and controls the temperature of the temperature of the heated air supplied into the drying section according to the detected values of the grain water content values and the grain filling amount.

Abstract: A method for operating a drying device which includes at least two chambers provided with bottoms for bulk material to be dried, and a means for supplying and discharging a gaseous medium to and from each chamber and wherein the bulk material is partially dried by the gaseous medium and is then transported from a first to a second chamber. The energy increase brought about by the energy supplied to the chamber by the gaseous medium, and the energy given out by the bulk material is determined for each chamber, after which the amount of moisture that has evaporated from the bulk material is determined on the basis of the energy increase and the amount of moisture expected to be present in the bulk material discharged from the device is determined on the basis of the difference between the amount of moisture present in the bulk material introduced into the device and the amount of moisture that has evaporated.

Abstract: A method and device for drying a gas by means of adsorption on a desiccant able to be regenerated (11), whereby a portion of the dried gas is used for regenerating the desiccant. The gas portion used for the regeneration is heated in at least two successive steps, said steps being performed in different zones (30,31 or 33-36) situated successively in the flow direction of the gas portion through the regenerating desiccant (11) and by stopping the heating in a zone (30,31 or 33-36) as soon as the desiccant (11) in this zone (30,31 or 33-36) is regenerated, so that this zone (30,31 or 33-36) may already cool down by the gas portion for regeneration while a successive zone (30,31 or 33-36) is still regenerated by the heated gas. In each vessel (7, 8) at least two individually controllable heating elements (25-26; 27-28; 38-41) are present.

Abstract: A system and method for sensing the dryness of clothing articles in a clothes dryer. In one embodiment, the clothes dryer uses a temperature sensor and a phase angle sensor to determine the dryness of the clothing articles as a function of the heated air temperature and the motor phase angle. In another embodiment the clothes dryer uses a humidity sensor to determine the dryness of the clothing articles as a function of the humidity of the heated air temperature. In a third embodiment the clothes dryer uses a temperature sensor, a phase angle sensor, and a humidity sensor to determine the dryness of the clothing articles as a function of the heated air temperature, the motor phase angle, and the humidity of the heated air temperature.

Abstract: A method and device effect controlled uniform temperature drying of a wet web, such as a paper web substantially immediately after formation in a paper machine, without damaging the supporting fabric carrying the web. The web has a central region and first and second border regions. The wet web to be dried is conveyed on a conventional supporting fabric/wire in a first direction generally parallel to the web border regions, and in a hood drying air is blown against the web from the opposite side thereof as the supporting fabric so that the drying air picks up moisture and becomes moistened air. The moistened air is discharged from the volume adjacent the hood, for example is discharged from at least one hood positioned at and encompassing an impingement surface over which the web and supporting fabric pass. Air supplied for blowing against the web is heated to raise its ability to retain moisture.

Abstract: A system and method for predicting the dryness of clothing articles in a clothes dryer. In one embodiment, the clothes dryer uses a temperature sensor, a phase angle sensor, and a humidity sensor to generate signal representations of the temperature of the clothing articles, the motor phase angle, and the humidity of the heated air in the duct, respectively. A controller receives the signal representations and determines a feature vector. A neural network uses the feature vector to predict a percentage of moisture content and a degree of dryness of the clothing articles in the clothes dryer. In another embodiment, the clothes dryer uses a combination of sensors to predict a percentage of moisture content and a degree of dryness of the clothing articles.

Abstract: A method for detecting impermissible operating states in electronically controlled tumble dryers, in particular the state of motion of a laundry drum. In the method, the electrical conductivity of the laundry is determined by electrodes which touch the laundry, at least from time to time. The method is distinguished by the fact that, during the drying operation, the conductivity is periodically measured. The currently measured conductivity value is compared with at least one previously measured conductivity value and, if changes in conductivity that are determined from the compared values over a multi-period interval corresponds to a preset low range of fluctuation, an indication is given that the laundry drum is stationary.

Abstract: A hybrid control for a clothes dryer which combines an electromechanical timer and a microprocessor. The electromechanical timer has a plurality of switches connected to a plurality of input ports of the microprocessor. The timer switches are driven by a plurality of cams such that the plurality of switches open and close in response to the cams at predetermined angular positions of the timer. In this manner, the switches provide control input to the electronic circuit for initiating the dry cycle and further provide control input to the electronic circuit during the dry cycle such that the electromechanical timer and the electronic circuit operate together to control the dryer operation. In addition, a sensor supplies a signal to the microprocessor corresponding to the moisture level of the clothes within the drum.

Abstract: A in-bin grain drying system is the subject of the present invention. A boiler having a variable capacity Btu output heats an ethylene glycol/water heating fluid which is circulated through hydronic coils. Fans move ambient air through the hydronic coils and the dry heated air is circulated to the plenum of the grain bin. The air which enters the bin is less moisture laden than in other drying systems, particularly those which are heated by propane flame. The temperature of the returning fluid is sensed and a fuel supply controller adjusts the amount of fuel supplied to the boiler and thus the Btu output. Accordingly the desired temperature of the air entering the plenum chamber is constant regardless of ambient outside temperature or relative humidity.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for treating green woods for the purpose of creating lumber of suitable quality for the implementation of building. The woods are placed in a treatment chamber with a sealed atmosphere, the temperature of the chamber is increased, and the woods are maintained at a specific temperature and humidity for a given period of time, the woods are the sprayed with hot water until the moisture content of the woods are allowed to decrease to a desired value.

Abstract: Disclosed is a dryer device and a drying control system utilizing an infrared sensor that measures the temperature of garments or items being dried in a drying device. The invention provides significant improvement over conventional techniques using temperature sensors, or such sensors in combination with moisture or humidity sensors. Also disclosed are methods for controlling drying temperatures and methods for determining drying cycle completion.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing or preventing distortion of woods. Woods are heated at a temperature, a relative humidity and for a time sufficient to uniformly distribute lignin and cellulose therein. These woods are then sprayed with heated water and then dried to a desired moisture content.

Abstract: A clothes dryer temperature control system or circuit is provided with a thermally biased thermostat adjacent to the air outlet of the drying drum. Further, a thermally biased control thermostat is provided adjacent the air inlet of the dryer drum. The two thermostats are controlled through a multiple contact switch controller which allows the dryer to operate in a high heat, medium heat, low heat, and damp dry heating cycles. Additionally, in a gas dryer embodiment a trimmer thermostat is located in circuit with the thermally biased resistor of the thermally biased air inlet thermostat so as to decrease the response time of this thermostat on its first cycle to prevent damage to clothing during initial operation of a gas dryer.

Abstract: A drying cycle controller for a garment dryer. The drying cycle is controlled to have a decreasing temperature and humidity profile which avoids the removal of moisture at a rate which will cause shrinkage and wrinkling of the garment. The drying cycle temperature profile is controlled by continuously sensing the humidity within the drying chamber, and decreasing the drying temperature each time the relative humidity drops to one of a plurality of set points. Once the humidity has reached the final set point, the dryer enters a cool down cycle for a predetermined cool down time.

Abstract: The position of the exhaust air flap of a through-flow dryer, for example, a screen drum dryer, is adjusted to determine the moisture content of the exhaust air. This is advantageously accomplished as a function of the desired drying temperature of the goods or their moisture content when the good leaves the dryer. Provision is made according to the invention to measure the temperature of the air after passing though the web, at least in the vicinity of the outlet of the dryer, to relate it to the temperature of the ambient air and thus to determine the temperature of the goods and hence their moisture content, since in the residual drying range, the moisture content of the goods is a function of the temperature of the goods. The exhaust air moisture content can then be regulated with this measured value.

Abstract: In a clothes dryer, the air exiting the dryer for wet clothes has a high relative humidity compared to the relative humidity when the load is dry. A change in the relative humidity of the air leaving the dryer indicates a change in dryness of the load. The relative humidity is measured by using two thermistors located in an air outlet of the dryer. The first thermistor is nonself-heating and uses a relatively low current to detect the temperature of the air in the air outlet. The second thermistor is self-heating and operates at a higher current so that its temperature is higher than the air temperature. As the air moves across the heated thermistor it will conduct more heat away from the thermistor when the relative humidity of the air is high than when it is low. The air temperature and heated thermistor temperature are compared frequently during the drying cycle. When the load is wet the difference between the two thermistors is small. When the load is dry the difference is greater.

Abstract: The temperature of air to heat or cool a product (16, 18) is maintained constant at levels which respectively are substantially higher or lower than the goal temperatures at which the respective products are to be stressed. Controllers (68, 70)having temperature/time profiles (72, 74) control the velocity of this higher or lower temperature air, as supplied by closed loops (20, 22) from high and low temperature sources (24, 26) to the products in their environmental stress chambers (12, 14), or bypassed through bypass conduits (50, 52) to maintain or change the temperatures of the products. High and low temperature sources (24, 26) and the product stress chambers (12, 14) may be interconnected by a cross-over arrangement of branches (80, 82, 84 and 86) to economize energy for heating or cooling the air, and to enable both environmental chambers (12, 14) to be interchangeably used for stress heating or cooling and, thus, to avoid movement of a product for the same purpose.

Abstract: A continuous-flow grain steeping and slow grain cooling process and apparatus. The continuous charging of hot, partially dried grain from a heated-air dryer into the top of a grain container in a layer of approximately uniform thickness is accomplished by use of grain spreading equipment. The downward flow of grain through the grain container is regulated by thermostatically controlled sweep and discharge augers located in the bottom of the bin. The grain flows at a rate that allows the grain to remain in a top steeping zone for a predetermined period of time, typically from four to twelve hours. After the initially charged grain is held at the steeping temperature for a predetermined steeping time, a continuous upward flow of ambient air is provided by a fan to cool the grain in a bottom cooling zone. The air flow is controlled by a thermostat to provide air flow at a rate that allows grain to remain in the cooling zone for a predetermined cooling time which is dependent on the airflow rate in cfm/bu.

Abstract: A continuous-flow, slow grain cooling process including the charging of hot, partially dried grain from a heated-air grain dryer into the top of a grain container in an even layer. The downward flow of grain through the grain container is regulated at a rate that allows the grain to remain in a top steeping zone for from four to twelve hours. After the initially charged grain is held at the steeping temperature for a predetermined steeping time, a controlled upward flow of ambient air is provided to cool the grain in a bottom cooling zone. The air flow is provided at a rate that allows grain to remain in the cooling zone until it is cooled close to the ambient air temperature, but the upward flow is controlled such that it will not cool any grain until it has been properly steeped. Cooled dry grain from a layer near the bottom is then discharged from the bottom of the grain container.

Abstract: A chip bin for wood chips in a continuous digester system includes internal steaming that is controlled in response to both the interior temperature across the level of chips in the bin, and the level of chips in the bin, so as to substantially prevent cool, non-condensible gas-laden chips from accumulating at the top of the chip column in the bin, and to substantially prevent steam blow-through. The temperature probe used in the chip bin has a temperature sensing portion with a length of about ten to twenty feet instead of the conventional five foot length, and extends across the level of the chips to a position about five feet below the level of chips. Control of steam added to the bin is provided utilizing a controller which controls the position of one or more valves in one or more steam conduits, each valve having multiple open positions and a closed position.

Abstract: A clothes drier according to the present invention can minimize failures in a sensor and can satisfactorily detect drying processing irrespective of the environment. In the clothes drier, an atmospheric temperature sensor 44L for detecting the substrate temperature required to determine the termination of the drying processing is disposed outside a circulating duct 18 and is mounted on a control substrate 42 having a thermal capacity on which a microcomputer for controlling operations performed by the clothes drier is mounted. Since the sensor 44L is provided outside the circulating duct 18, the sensor 44L is less affected by dust and water, as compared with a case where it is provided inside the circulating duct 18.

Abstract: A photosensitive material dryer apparatus including a drying chamber and a first drying application device wherein a photosensitive material having a photosensitive material conductivity drying profile is dried following a wet chemical process includes a sensor for electronically measuring and sensing the conductivity of the photosensitive material, and a controller in communication with the sensor and the drying application device for regulating the drying application device based on the sensed conductivity of the photosensitive material.

Abstract: A process for reordering tobacco or other suitable hygroscopic organic material, which results in no significant decrease in the equilibrium CV of the tobacco or other hygroscopic organic material, or significant degradation of the tobacco or other hygroscopic organic material, is provided. Material to be reordered is contacted with an air stream having a relative humidity near the equilibrium conditions of the material. As the OV content of the hygroscopic organic material increases, the relative humidity of the air stream contacting the hygroscopic organic material is increased to affect reordering of the material. Also provided is a process for drying tobacco or other suitable hygroscopic organic material, which results in no significant change in the equilibrium CV of the tobacco or other hygroscopic organic material or significant degradation of the tobacco or other suitable hygroscopic organic material.

Abstract: The present invention provides a portable dry kiln for drying or treating lumber. The kiln can operate with an electrical generator and a gas, oil or waste burning heater to allow use in remote areas. The kiln is small enough to be readily transportable while improving thermal efficiency, humidity control, and eliminating fan motor maintenance problems. A cyclonic circulation of air extending through the kiln chamber is produced by the combined actions of an air supply system and a plurality of fans.

Abstract: A method for drying a ceramic compact includes: maintaining a ceramic compact containing a gelable binder in a condition having a humidity of 70% or higher and having a temperature the same as or higher than a gelating temperature of the gelable binder for a predetermined period of time; and vaporizing water in the ceramic compact. According to the drying method, gelable binder gelates before water is vaporized in a compact, and thereby the compact hardly deforms in accordance with drying shrinkage. Further, the drying method gives uniform drying to the compact in comparison with the conventional hot-air drying. Therefore, use of the compact produced by the drying method significantly reduces deformation, which results from nonuniformity of drying, during the firing process, and a fired body having excellent preciseness in configuration is obtained.

Abstract: Apparatus and a method for the controlled drying of polymer plastic pellets within a dryer hopper are provided. A sensor tree having a plurality of temperature sensors spaced vertically on the tree is positioned vertically within the dryer hopper so that the individual sensors are each located at varying vertical distances from the bottom to the top of the dryer hopper. A target temperature for a particular type of polymer plastic pellet, when maintained for a specified residence time, indicates that the pellet is thoroughly dry for use in a manufacturing process. By determining the vertical level at which the target temperature has been achieved for the desired residence time, the amount of dry material within the hopper that is ready to be input to the manufacturing process is determined. A signal processing unit operating a software program automatically controls the throughput of the dryer hopper so that only dry polymer plastic pellets leave the hopper.

Abstract: A clothes dryer includes a drum for accommodating clothes to be dried, a heater and a fan for supplying hot air into the drum in a drying operation, and a temperature sensor sensing the temperature in the drum. A drying operation includes a drying step in which hot air is supplied into the drum and a cooling step in which the heater is deenergized. An intermittent operation is initiated upon completion of the drying operation. The intermittent operation is completed when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor has reached a predetermined value set for preventing occurrence of creases in the clothes.

Abstract: This invention relates to a clothes dryer which can successfully cope with operation when the air circulation path is partially blocked. The dryer is of a type having dual heating elements and during conditions where blocking exists, the heat generation is reduced by disconnecting one of the heating elements while air is circulated thru the dryer.

Abstract: A method for controlling a drying operation of a combined sensing type clothes dryer including a drum, a heat exchanging fan, a motor, a heater, a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor, the sensors being disposed between the drum and the heat exchanging fan, comprising the steps of calculating an average value of the sum of a temperature variation per unit time detected by the temperature sensor and a humidity value sensed by the humidity sensor, both of which is detected when a predetermined time (t.sub.SH) has been elapsed from the beginning of the drying operation, determining the fabric quantity of clothes as one of a small fabric quantity, a large fabric quantity and an excessive fabric quantity, based on the calculated average value, and controlling the drying operation, based on the determined fabric quantity. Taking into consideration the ambient temperature, the fabric quantity is determined, thereby capable of preventing an occurrence of an error of the fabric quantity determination.

Abstract: Offal material, such as shrimp or crab shells, fish offal, etc, is dried to produce a fine-grained base material or additive for use in foodstuffs and animal fodder by subjecting a starting material in a chamber to a turbulent air current which accelerates the material lumps into various paths of movement. Hereby the material lumps continuously collide with each other, thereby constantly exposing new surfaces or rupture. The chamber is supplied with air, having a temperature which partly depends on the temperature of the starting material and partly depends on the comminution rate, in an amount adjusted according to the amount of starting material introduced per time unit. Hereby it is achieved that free water is immediately removed from the exposed surfaces of rupture by evaporation. By exerting a counter-pressure, the material is retained in the chamber until a desired particle size has been achieved.