Recirculation Of Treating Gas Or Vapor Patents (Class 34/77)
-
Patent number: 7765813Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus and process for cooling and de-steaming hot calcined stucco used in the production of gypsum boards or bagged plaster. The apparatus is a fluid bed stucco cooler and comprises a cooler housing having a plenum having a stucco inlet and stucco outlet. The stucco cooler includes a rotating disk in the plenum. The rotating disk includes nozzle for spraying fluid, and is attached to a rotable shaft extending from the side of the cooler also includes a fluidization pad and agitator to help to mix the air and the stucco powder to insure fluidization, prevent channeling, and prevent the stucco powder from building up on the various components. The air also forces steam from the hot calcined stucco out through an air outlet located at the top of the stucco cooler, thereby de-steaming the stucco. The stucco flows through the plenum and passes over the cooling coils, thereby cooling the stucco as it reaches the stucco outlet.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2004Date of Patent: August 3, 2010Assignee: United States Gypsum CompanyInventors: Michael L. Bolind, Christopher R. Nelson, Bruce L. Petersen, Michael J. Porter
-
Patent number: 7757407Abstract: Gas drying device, consisting of a desiccant dryer (2) which makes use of a pressure tank (4) with a drying zone (5) and a regeneration zone (6), with an adsorption and/or absorption medium (7) which is alternately guided through the drying zone (5) and the regeneration zone (6); a primary circuit (8) in which the abovementioned desiccant dryer (2) is included, which makes it possible to guide the gas to be dried through the drying zone (5) of the desiccant dryer (2); a secondary circuit (9) which makes it possible for a part of the gas to be dried to be guided through the regeneration zone (6) of the desiccant dryer (2) and to absorb moisture there, characterized in that the device also contains a cooling dryer (1) which is inserted upstream the abovementioned desiccant dryer (2) in the primary circuit (8).Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2006Date of Patent: July 20, 2010Assignee: ATLAS COPCO AIRPOWER, naamloze vennootschapInventors: Bart Etienne Agnes Vanderstraten, Ben Paul Karl Van Hove
-
Patent number: 7758705Abstract: A dishwasher and a controlling method thereof are provided. The dishwasher includes a tub, a door, a steam supplying unit, a fan, and a passage. The tub stores dishes. The door opens and closes the tub. The steam supplying unit supplies steam into the tub. The fan blows the steam. The passage forming unit is formed to circulate the steam blown by the fan inside the tub, or to discharge the steam to the outside of the tub.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2006Date of Patent: July 20, 2010Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.Inventors: Byung Hwan Ahn, Soung Bong Choi, Deung Hee Lee, Hung Myoung Cho, Hyeok Deok Kim, Seong Hae Jeong
-
Publication number: 20100154248Abstract: A dryer includes a drying chamber for the items to be dried, an inlet air duct, a process air duct, an exhaust air duct, a recirculating air duct, a fan, and a heat pump with an evaporator, a condenser and a programmable controller. The dryer defines a process air path for obtaining and maintaining a predetermined minimum difference ?Tset between an evaporator entry temperature T2 and a dryer entry temperature T1 as well as a predetermined lower threshold T2set for the evaporator entry temperature.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 14, 2009Publication date: June 24, 2010Applicant: BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERATE GmbHInventor: Andreas Stolze
-
Patent number: 7695572Abstract: A dishwasher and a controlling method thereof are provided. The dishwasher includes a tub, a door, a steam generator, and a dish storage. The tub holds dishes and is opened at one end. The door selectively seals the opened end of the tub. The steam generator is provided outside the tub to generate steam. The steam discharger discharges the steam generated by the steam generator into the tub. The dish storage stores dishes to be sterilized by the steam discharged from the steam discharger.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2006Date of Patent: April 13, 2010Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.Inventors: Byung Hwan Ahn, Soung Bong Choi, Deung Hee Lee, Hung Myoung Cho, Hyeok Deok Kim, Seong Hae Jeong
-
Publication number: 20100083530Abstract: A method and apparatus for torrefaction of water containing cellulosic materials is performed in an inert atmosphere. The cellulosic material is cascaded through the apparatus between a plurality of rotatable trays vertically stacked within multiple processing zones. Steam being generated from heating of the cellulosic material is recycled back to the apparatus to provide an inert atmosphere. The steam may be superheated in a heat exchanger. Exhaust from the torrefaction zone of the apparatus has some moisture and other volatiles removed prior to being reheated in a burner. The heated exhaust is used in the heat exchanger to superheat the recycled steam.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 15, 2009Publication date: April 8, 2010Applicant: Wyssmont Co. Inc.Inventors: Edward Weisselberg, Joseph Bevacqua, Robert Borre
-
Patent number: 7665225Abstract: A drying apparatus for drying articles such as clothing is provided. The drying apparatus includes a chamber for containing articles to be dried and a system for supplying heated dry air at a first temperature to the chamber. The air supplying system comprises an air flow pathway having an evaporator for removing moisture from air exiting the chamber and for decreasing the temperature of the air to below dew point temperature. The air supply system further has a condenser for increasing the temperature of the air exiting the evaporator to the first temperature. The drying apparatus further has a heat pump system having a refrigerant loop which includes a compressor, the condenser, a TEV valve, and the evaporator.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2006Date of Patent: February 23, 2010Inventors: Michael Goldberg, James C. Truman, Alexander B. Kniffin
-
Patent number: 7644512Abstract: A method of drying a surface of a substrate is provided. The method includes supporting and rotating a substrate; applying a liquid to the substrate surface at or near a rotational center point via a liquid dispenser (so that a film of the liquid is formed on the surface); applying a drying fluid to the substrate surface at a predetermined distance from the rotational center point via one or more drying fluid dispensers; and manipulating the drying fluid dispenser(s) so that the location at which the drying fluid is applied to the substrate is moved in a direction toward the rotational center point, while at the same time manipulating the liquid dispenser so that the location at which the liquid is applied to the substrate is moved in a direction outward from the rotational center point. The liquid dispenser and drying fluid dispenser(s) noted above can be located on and/or within an assembly. The assembly can include a first dispenser, a second dispenser, and a third dispenser.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2007Date of Patent: January 12, 2010Inventors: Zhi (Lewis) Liu, Ismail Kashkoush, Hanjoo Lee
-
Publication number: 20090288311Abstract: A method for drying a fibrous web, especially a paper, cardboard or tissue web, the moving web is treated with hot air from a hot air hood in the area of a upstream pre-defined drying zone, and is subsequent carried to the drying zone in a downstream drying cylinder, especially a Yankee-Cylinder, to which an additional hood is allocated and in whose area the fibrous web is dried further. The hot air for the hot air hood allocated to the upstream drying zone is recovered, at least partially, from the exhaust air of the hood allocated to the downstream drying cylinder.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 18, 2009Publication date: November 26, 2009Inventors: Luiz C. Da Silva, Thomas Scherb, Ronaldo Parucker, Oswaldir Rizzatto
-
Patent number: 7603791Abstract: A conditioning apparatus for conditioning a treated fluid includes a conditioning chamber for containing a flow of a treated fluid and an exchange element disposed within said conditioning chamber having one or more fluid passages formed therein filled with a saline solution. The exchange element has a semi-permeable membrane that allows fluid transfer between said treated fluid and said saline solution through said semi-permeable membrane.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2003Date of Patent: October 20, 2009Inventor: John Griffin
-
Patent number: 7581335Abstract: The present invention provides a drying apparatus capable of satisfactorily drying a workpiece by using a dry vapor The drying apparatus has a control device for controlling a supply of a carrier gas and a supply of a dry vapor into a processing tank holding workpieces. A drying process carries out a carrier gas supply step of supplying the carrier gas and a mixed fluid supply step of supplying a mixed fluid prepared by mixing the carrier gas and the dry vapor alternately. A total mixed fluid supply time for which the mixed fluid supply step is executed is not shorter than 57% of a total processing time for which the carrier gas supply step and the mixed fluid supply step are executed.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2006Date of Patent: September 1, 2009Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Hiroshi Tanaka, Hidetoshi Nakao, Naoki Shindo, Atushi Yamashita, Tsukasa Hirayama, Kotaro Tsurusaki
-
Patent number: 7582008Abstract: A centralized device for the distribution and discharge of air causing the evaporation of a carrier in a number of user installations each having an intake channel and a discharge channel, comprising a single manifold for the reception, delivery and discharge of air-carrier mixture from and to the installations and a discharge fan connected to said manifold, and comprising for each installation: a device for air supply, connected to the single manifold and having a fresh air suction channel and an air supply channel, a fan connected to the air supply device, a heat exchanger connected to the fan and to the intake channel of the installation, a discharge device connected to the discharge channel of the installation and to the manifold and comprising a discharge channel, and a recirculation device comprising a recirculation channel connected to the air supply device and to the discharge device.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 2004Date of Patent: September 1, 2009Assignee: Bobst Group Italia S.p.A.Inventor: Renzo Melotti
-
Publication number: 20090199428Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for drying wood by means of vapor. In the method according to the invention the vapor essentially is generated from the wood's own liquid by means of electric energy by conducting the electric energy by means of electrodes directly to the wood to be dried so that the vapor generated first in the center of the wood pushes out the liquids in the wood via the capillaries of the wood. The apparatus according to the invention includes a current source and electrodes connected thereto built to be brought into contact with the wood to be dried in order to conduct electricity to the wood.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2009Publication date: August 13, 2009Inventor: Reino Pendikainen
-
Publication number: 20090193679Abstract: A method for roasting a load of plant biomass, includes the following stages: generation of a treatment gas stream by a thermal generating apparatus, the treatment gas stream being an inert gas consisting essentially of CO2; generation of a bed of material at high temperature, called the thermal base; treatment of the load of biomass with the treatment gas stream, the treatment gas stream being laden with gaseous components including a water steam and volatile organic compounds originating from the load of biomass during the treatment; and recycling of at least a portion of the water steam by passing at least a portion of the laden gas stream through the thermal base.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2007Publication date: August 6, 2009Inventor: Raymond Guyomarc'h
-
Publication number: 20090158614Abstract: A system and method for preparing a container holding high level radioactive waste for dry storage.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2008Publication date: June 25, 2009Inventors: Krishna P. Singh, John D. Griffiths
-
Patent number: 7526877Abstract: An operation method for a drying device is disclosed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a new type of a drying device which enables air in a drying drum and a cabinet for drying the laundry to circulate continuously, as well as capable of getting a suitable output of power based on each drying cycle due to a various structure of a drying heater.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2005Date of Patent: May 5, 2009Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc.Inventors: Young Soo Kim, Soung Bong Choi, Byung Hwan Ahn, Deug Hee Lee, Hung Myong Cho
-
Patent number: 7481083Abstract: A drum type washing and drying machine includes a rotary drum provided with drum perforations on the cylindrical surface thereof, a water tub elastically supported in a main body of the machine, for accommodating the rotary drum, a blower unit for circulating air into the rotary drum, a heating unit for heating the air to be circulated into the rotary drum, an air flow passage for directing air, which has been exhausted from the rotary drum into a space between the water tub and the rotary drum through the drum perforations, to the blower unit, a heat exchanging member installed in the air flow passage, and a cooling water supply unit for supplying cooling water to the heat-exchanging member. The heat-exchanging member is slantingly disposed in the air flow passage and has an upper and a lower surface and to form an approximately U-shaped heat exchanging path.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2005Date of Patent: January 27, 2009Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Satoshi Habu, Koji Nakai, Takahiro Inoue
-
Patent number: 7469486Abstract: A drying apparatus has a heat pump comprising a compressor (31), a radiator (32), a throttle apparatus (33) and an evaporator (34), and also includes a structure in which drying air heated by heat of the radiator (32) is introduced to a subject (37) to be dried is dehumidified by the evaporator (34). The drying apparatus also includes a bypass circuit (39) through which a portion of dying air heated by the radiator (32) flows to an inlet of the evaporator (34) without coming into contact with the subject, a super heat detecting device (43, 44) for detecting super heat of the heat pump apparatus, and a throttle apparatus control device for controlling flow path resistance in the bypass circuit (39) using a value detected by the super heat detecting device (43, 44).Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2004Date of Patent: December 30, 2008Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Tomoichiro Tamura, Yuuichi Yakumaru, Fumitoshi Nishiwaki
-
Publication number: 20080282575Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the drying of water-containing, preferably plate-shaped products in a throughflow dryer in multi-level construction, and such a dryer for carrying out the method. The invention aims to suck away moist air stagnated under the housing (2) in a dyer of the above mentioned type and to transport this moist air into the suction area (12) of the axial blowers (9) arranged in the lower levels, and thereupon to differentially admix moist air into a quantity of drying air and deliver it to the nozzle boxes (5) of the dryer.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 11, 2006Publication date: November 20, 2008Applicant: LINDAUER DORNIER GESELLSCHAFT MBHInventors: Alfred Dotzler, Anton Hecht
-
Publication number: 20080277027Abstract: A thermal method for stabilizing a load of wood, in particular timber, including: a phase of treatment of the load of wood in a treatment kiln by a gaseous treatment flow; generation of a gaseous treatment flow at high temperature from a heat generator independent of the treatment kiln and recovery of the loaded gaseous flow after treatment.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2005Publication date: November 13, 2008Inventors: Jean-Pierre Bernon, Alain Dulac, Raymond Guyomarc'h
-
Publication number: 20080235977Abstract: In a laundry washing/drying machine involving drying by a heat pump cycle, in an initial stage of the drying operation the heat within an air circulation path is deficient and therefore it is impossible to effect quick heating of air on a drum inlet side up to a sufficiently high temperature. According to the present invention there is provided a drying unit capable of raising the drum inlet air temperature quickly up to a sufficiently high temperature in an initial stage of the drying operation and thereby shortening the drying time.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 28, 2008Publication date: October 2, 2008Applicant: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventor: Osamu Kuwabara
-
Patent number: 7409776Abstract: An object is to provide a drying machine capable of maintaining air discharged into a housing chamber while efficiently drying a matter to be dried in a short time. A drying machine provided with a housing chamber which houses the matter to be dried, and executing a drying operation of the matter to be dried in the housing chamber comprises: a gas cooler; an evaporator; a blower fan; an air circulation path for discharging air heated by the gas cooler into the housing chamber by the blower fan, sending the air passed through the housing chamber into the evaporator, and circulating the air in the gas cooler; and a closeable outside air introduction port for mixing outside air with the air circulating in the air circulation path.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2005Date of Patent: August 12, 2008Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Koji Ono, Kazuyoshi Tomochika
-
Patent number: 7395611Abstract: A system and method of moving a meniscus from a first surface to a second surface includes forming a meniscus between a head and a first surface. The meniscus can be moved from the first surface to an adjacent second surface, the adjacent second surface being parallel to the first surface. The system and method of moving the meniscus can also be used to move the meniscus along an edge of a substrate.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2006Date of Patent: July 8, 2008Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: James P. Garcia, John M. de Larios, Michael Ravkin, Fred C. Redeker, Carl Woods
-
Patent number: 7367135Abstract: This invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chambers are dry-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple.Type: GrantFiled: August 16, 2005Date of Patent: May 6, 2008Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Shigekazu Kato, Kouji Nishihata, Tsunehiko Tsubone, Atsushi Itou
-
Patent number: 7343922Abstract: A wafer drying method includes submerging a wafer in a cleaning solution in a dry chamber. An organic liquid vapor from an organic liquid is supplied into the dry chamber at a first volumetric supply rate to form an organic liquid layer on a surface of the cleaning solution, the organic liquid layer having at least a prescribed concentration of the organic liquid. The organic liquid vapor is supplied into the dry chamber at a second volumetric supply rate that is lower than the first volumetric supply rate. During and/or following the supplying of the organic liquid vapor into the dry chamber, at least a portion of the wafer is removed from the cleaning solution through the organic liquid layer.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2005Date of Patent: March 18, 2008Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Jae-Hyung Jung, Young-Min Kwon, Jong-Jae Lee, Dong-Hoon Jung
-
Patent number: 7325333Abstract: There are disclosed a heat pump device and a drying machine using the device in which abnormal water supplying into a water-cooling heat exchanger for use in water-cooling of a heat pump can be easily detected without disposing any water amount gauge particularly.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2005Date of Patent: February 5, 2008Assignees: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sanyo Electric Techno Clean Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masaya Tadano, Tetsuya Masuda, Takahiro Nakamura, Masafumi Nishino, Nobuhiro Asada, Mitsuru Naganawa
-
Patent number: 7322123Abstract: An object is to provide a drying machine which can accomplish delicate drying and reduce burdens on a matter to be dried during drying while securing a predetermined evaporation temperature in an evaporator. In summary, a dry cleaner equipped with a heat pump device comprises a water-cooling heat exchanger which removes heat from a refrigerant entering a capillary tube; and a control device which variably controls a discharged heat amount in the water-cooling heat exchanger and capacity of the compressor, wherein the control device has at least two kinds of drying modes including a usual drying mode and a delicate drying mode, and in the delicate drying mode, a temperature of air discharged into a storage chamber is set lower than in the usual drying mode to control the capacity of the compressor and to increase the discharged heat amount in the water-cooling heat exchanger.Type: GrantFiled: September 7, 2005Date of Patent: January 29, 2008Assignees: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sanyo Electric Techno Clean Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masaya Tadano, Tetsuya Masuda, Takahiro Nakamura, Masafumi Nishino, Nobuhiro Asada, Mitsuru Naganawa
-
Patent number: 7275399Abstract: A condensing apparatus of a washing and drying machine includes a casing that forms an accommodating space therein; a tub installed in the casing; an air duct of which one end is connected to the tub to thus introduce air into the tub; a blower fan that blows air along the air duct; and a heater that heats air of the air duct before being introduced into the tub.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2003Date of Patent: October 2, 2007Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.Inventors: Young-Hwan Park, Kyung-Seop Hong, Choon-Myun Chung
-
Publication number: 20070169366Abstract: An object is to provide a drying machine capable of effectively eliminating confinement of heat while a drying time of an object to be dried is reduced, and the drying machine includes a refrigerant circuit constituted by successively connecting a compressor, a radiator, a pressure reducing unit, an evaporator and the like in an annular form via a pipe; an air circulation path which allows an air sending unit to perform air circulation to send air from the radiator through the storage chamber to the evaporator and to again return the air to the radiator; and a heat exchange unit for performing heat exchange between an external heat medium and a refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit in a range of a refrigerant outlet side of the evaporator to a refrigerant discharge side of the compressor, the heat exchange unit being constituted of an external heat exchanger for performing heat exchange between the external heat medium and the refrigerant of an intermediate pressure section of a compressor.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2007Publication date: July 26, 2007Inventor: Masaya Tadano
-
Publication number: 20070169367Abstract: An object is to provide a drying machine capable of effectively eliminating confinement of heat while a drying time of an object to be dried is reduced, and the drying machine includes a refrigerant circuit constituted by successively connecting a compressor, a radiator, a pressure reducing unit, an evaporator and the like in an annular form via a pipe; an air circulation path which allows an air sending unit to perform air circulation so as to send air from the radiator through the storage chamber to the evaporator and to again return the air to the radiator; and a heat exchange unit for performing heat exchange between an external heat medium and the air in the refrigerant circuit, the heat exchange being performed between a leeward side of the evaporator and a windward side of the radiator.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2007Publication date: July 26, 2007Inventor: Masaya Tadano
-
Patent number: 7194823Abstract: A clothes drying apparatus includes a heat pump mechanism, an air path for guiding drying air into a drying drum accommodating therein clothes, a blower for supplying drying air to the air path, and a controller for controlling a driving of a compressor, wherein the controller operates the blower and the compressor during a drying operation; stops the compressor in case the drying operation is suspended; and operates, in case the drying operation is resumed, the compressor after a certain time period has elapsed since the compressor had stopped. In case employing the heat pump mechanism having the compressor as a heat source, it is possible to reduce a load on the compressor and allow temperature of warm air to rapidly return by using the heat pump mechanism.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2004Date of Patent: March 27, 2007Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shigeharu Nakamoto, Hidetaka Yabuuchi, Hajime Nojima, Masayuki Tanaka
-
Patent number: 7191543Abstract: A drying apparatus comprising a heat pump apparatus in which a refrigerant circulates through a compressor, a radiator, a throttle apparatus and an evaporator in this order, in which air heated by the radiator is introduced into a dry chamber, the air coming out from the dry chamber is cooled by a cooling apparatus, the air cooled by the cooling apparatus is dehumidified by the evaporator, and the air dehumidified by the evaporator is again heated by the radiator, wherein the drying apparatus further comprises compressor input detecting means for detecting input of the compressor, and cooling quantity control means for controlling a cooling quantity of the cooling apparatus using a value detected by the compressor input detecting means.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2004Date of Patent: March 20, 2007Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yuuichi Yakumaru, Tomoichiro Tamura, Fumitoshi Nishiwaki
-
Patent number: 7162812Abstract: The present invention relates to a clothes drying machine, or combined clothes washing and drying machine, comprising a drum (1) holding the clothes to be dried, a conduit (2, 10) adapted to convey a flow of drying air into said drum and out thereof, a fan (5) adapted to blow a first flow of drying air through said said conduit, a heatin element (4) adapted to heat up the air in said conduit at a location upstream of said drum, a motor (7) adapted to selectively drive said drum rotatably. In the machine there is provided a means (9) for producing atomised moisture, said means being adapted to release a flow of said atomised moisture into said conduit according to selected times and modes.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2005Date of Patent: January 16, 2007Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V.Inventors: Silvano Cimetta, Fabio Noviello
-
Patent number: 7103992Abstract: An industrial dishwashing machine with at least one essentially closed water circuit in which washing water is circulated, and with at least one water inflow which makes rinsing water available which is received into the water circuit after a rinsing operation following a washing operation. An air circuit is provided for drying the batchwith the air circuit being dehumidified by means of the water of the water inflow.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2002Date of Patent: September 12, 2006Assignee: Winterhalter Gastronm GmbHInventors: Roman Duden, Ralf Singer
-
Patent number: 7055262Abstract: A drying apparatus for drying articles such as clothing is provided. The drying apparatus includes a chamber for containing articles to be dried and a system for supplying heated dry air at a first temperature to the chamber. The air supplying system comprises an air flow pathway having an evaporator for removing moisture from air exiting the chamber and for decreasing the temperature of the air to below dew point temperature. The air supply system further has a condenser for increasing the temperature of the air exiting the evaporator to the first temperature. The drying apparatus further has a heat pump system having a refrigerant loop which includes a compressor, the condenser, a TEV valve, and the evaporator.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2004Date of Patent: June 6, 2006Assignee: Self Propelled Research and Development Specialists, LLCInventors: Michael Goldberg, James C. Truman, Alexander B. Kniffin
-
Patent number: 7032322Abstract: A processor and method for treating infectious waste utilizes a processing chamber having an inlet for delivering processing water at an elevated temperature and under pressure into the processing chamber, an opening in the processing chamber for receiving of infectious waste and for removing treated waste, an agitator for opening the waste material to the action of the water at elevated temperature and pressure. A basket and/or a sieve may be carried in the processing chamber to facilitate drainage of spent processing water, and an apparatus may be included for removing neutralized waste through the opening in the processing chamber either by inverting the processor or by removing and inverting the basket and/or sieve.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2004Date of Patent: April 25, 2006Assignee: Sterassure Solutions, L.L.C.Inventor: Donald L. Smith
-
Patent number: 7021088Abstract: An aeration apparatus for a combination drier and washer comprises an air circulation duct connected from one portion of a tub to the other portion for circulating air in the tub; an aeration tube connected from the air circulation duct to outside of the case for introducing exterior air; and an opening/closing unit provided at a spot where the air circulation duct and the aeration tube meet for opening and closing the aeration tube, wherein the air circulation duct is connected to a condensing water supply tube for supplying condensing water to condense water in air, and the opening/closing unit is constructed to open and close the aeration tube by condensing water supplied by the condensing water supply tube. During drying, the drying space is closed to improve drying efficiency. Afterward, air is introduced to prevent accidents.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2002Date of Patent: April 4, 2006Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.Inventors: Kyung-Seop Hong, Young-Hwan Park, Choon-Myun Chung
-
Patent number: 6981336Abstract: There is disclosed a washing/drying machine having a purpose of shortening a time required for a washing operation and improving an operation efficiency, and comprising: an inner drum in which things to be washed are accommodated and in which a washing operation of the things to be washed and a drying operation after end of the washing operation are performed; a water supply passage for supplying water into the inner drum and a drainage passage for discharging the water from the inner drum in the washing operation; a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a gas cooler, an expansion valve, an evaporator and the like are successively connected to one another in an annular form via a piping and in which carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant; and a blower for blowing air which has exchanged heat with the gas cooler into the inner drum to allow the air passed through the inner drum to exchange the heat with the evaporator in the drying operation.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2004Date of Patent: January 3, 2006Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Etsushi Nagae, Hiroshi Mukaiyama, Koji Ono, Masaya Tadano, Tetsuya Masuda, Kazuyoshi Tomochika, Takahiro Nakamura, Masakatsu Morishige, Harumi Takeuchi, Kiyokazu Fujikawa, Tamotsu Kawamura, Motohiko Kosano, Shinichi Akiyama, Nobuo Koumoto
-
Patent number: 6966203Abstract: A washing-drying machine includes an inner tub having a rotating shaft and sustained rotatably in an outer tub suspended elastically in a cabinet, where an agitator disposed rotatably on an inner bottom of the inner tub. The washing-drying machine also includes a motor for driving the inner tub or the agitator and a warm-air-circulating pass having a heat exchanger cooled by a cooling section. The washing-drying machine further includes a controller for controlling processes including washing, rinsing, dehydrating and drying. The cooling section is formed of a water-cooling-section for cooling warm-air in the heat exchanger by supplying water, and an air-cooling-section for cooling an outer wall of the heat exchanger by blowing air. As a result, high dehumidification rate by improving heat-exchange efficiency of the heat can be obtained, and clothes are hardly damaged and electric power and the amount of water consumption can be saved.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2002Date of Patent: November 22, 2005Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Eiji Matsuda, Tadashi Inuzuka, Kimura Kyosuke, Kazutoshi Adachi, Hiroshi Isago
-
Patent number: 6966124Abstract: A drum washing machine, which has a clothes-drying unit with a plurality of heat pipes. The heat pipes recover, during a drying-mode operation of the drum washing machine, heat from high temperature humid air flowing from a water tub, and combine the recovered heat with low temperature dry air flowing from an area around a condensing nozzle, thus saving time and electricity during the drying-mode operation. In the clothes-drying unit, an air duct includes first and second duct parts, having a condensing nozzle installed in the first duct part, and a blower fan and a heater installed in the second duct part. A lower end of the heat pipe is arranged in a lower end of the first duct part, and an upper end of the heat pipe is arranged in an upper end of the first duct part. The heat pipe thus recovers the heat from the air, which flows in the lower end of the first duct part, and combines the recovered heat with the air, which flows in the upper end of the first duct part.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2004Date of Patent: November 22, 2005Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventor: Doo-Young Ryu
-
Patent number: 6941673Abstract: A closed-type drying system a drying chamber with glass windows to allow light entering, an condensation and heating system connected between two distal ends of the drying chamber and controlled by an automatic control system, the condensation and heating system including an air blower for blowing air through the drying chamber, a heater for heating air passing through the drying chamber, two evaporators for condensing moisture from output air of the drying chamber, a heat energy reclamation chamber connected between the air blower and the evaporator, a condenser mounted inside the heat energy reclamation chamber for preheating air passing through the heat energy reclamation chamber, a first compressor mounted in the heat energy reclamation chamber for heat exchange with the flow of air passing through reclamation chamber, and a second compressor adapted to provide low temperature conditions (if needed) in the drying chamber.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2004Date of Patent: September 13, 2005Assignee: National Pintung University of Science and TechnologyInventors: Ho Hsien Chen, Jwo Jyh Huang
-
Patent number: 6938356Abstract: A washing/drying machine has objects to shorten a time required for a washing operation, to improve a heat exchange capability in a radiator and an evaporator, and to shorten a drying time for things to be dried, and comprises: an accommodating chamber in which things to be washed (things to be dried) are accommodated and in which a drying operation of the things to be washed is performed; a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a gas cooler, a decompression device, an evaporator and the like are successively connected to one another in an annular form via a piping and in which carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant and which has a supercritical pressure on a high pressure side thereof; and blower means for blowing air which has exchanged heat with the radiator into the accommodating chamber to allow the air passed through the accommodating chamber to exchange the heat with the evaporator, wherein the blower means constitutes a circulation direction of the air passed through the gas cooler, and that ofType: GrantFiled: September 2, 2004Date of Patent: September 6, 2005Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Etsushi Nagae, Hiroshi Mukaiyama, Koji Ono, Masaya Tadano, Tetsuya Masuda, Kazuyoshi Tomochika, Takahiro Nakamura, Masakatsu Morishige, Harumi Takeuchi, Kiyokazu Fujikawa, Tamotsu Kawamura, Motohiko Kosano, Shinichi Akiyama, Nobuo Koumoto
-
Patent number: 6928748Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing a semiconductor process wafer drying process, the method provides a semiconductor wafer having a process surface disposed in an enclosed drying space following exposure of the process surface to water; supplying a solvent vapor to the drying space at a predetermined concentration from a solvent vapor source and at least one solvent vapor supply line; determining at least one of a solvent vapor concentration and a solvent vapor temperature in the drying space; and heating in response to the determined solvent concentration at least one of at least a portion of one of the solvent vapor source, the at least one solvent vapor supply line, and at the drying space to alter the solvent vapor concentration in the drying space.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2003Date of Patent: August 16, 2005Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., LtdInventors: Jia-Ren Chen, Li-De Hsu, Chin-Chia Kuo, Hann-Huei Tsai
-
Patent number: 6780225Abstract: Reflow solder oven gas management system introduces an inert gas into and removes contaminated gas from a reflow oven tunnel (42) at predetermined points (6, 8) to influence the oven tunnel gas flow and to dilute and expel excess oxygen. The contaminated gas is ducted to a flux separation system (34) to be cleaned, for example remove flux vapors, and returned in part to the tunnel (42) for recirculation and with the remainder routed to end baffle boxes (54) for tunnel end pressurization and exhaust. The system has sufficient pressure to supply end baffle boxes (54) with clean gas to create a gas barrier to effectively seal off the tunnel ends from air infiltration or migration into the tunnel making the system insensitive to external pressure and/or temperature variations. The invention also includes alternative embodiments, low flow oxygen bleed valves (72) to maintain low oxygen content in the oven process tunnel.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2002Date of Patent: August 24, 2004Assignee: Vitronics Soltec, Inc.Inventors: Russell G. Shaw, Roy J. Palhof
-
Patent number: 6769196Abstract: A condenser of a condensing-type clothes dryer includes a plurality of condensing ducts provided in a middle portion of a circulation duct, the condensing ducts condensing air being circulated there-through after being discharged from a drum; and a plurality of cooling fins provided to be in contact with an outer surface of the condensing ducts, wherein an interval or a pitch of the cooling fins is different partially according to a flow rate of air blown from a cooling fan for a heat-exchange with air flowing through the condensing duct. At this time, the pitch or interval of the cooling fins is narrow at a portion where air blown from the cooling fan flows fast, and the pitch or internal of the cooling fins is wide at a portion where air blown from the cooling fan flows slowly.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2003Date of Patent: August 3, 2004Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.Inventors: Young Hwan Park, Choon Myun Chung, Mu Yong Choi, Dae Yun Park, Kyung Seop Hong
-
Patent number: 6751885Abstract: Trays are provided with identical vertical spacers which enable the trays to be stacked on top of each other in a centered way, with a suitable or appropriate spacing between them, and enable the various adjacent stacks of trays to be raised and lowered in steps, by an elevating and lowering system which acts only on the bottom tray of each stack. The sides of the stacks of trays of the kiln are thus free and can be engaged by conveyors for the translation of the trays between the stacks, both in a normal operating cycle and in a short operating cycle. However, the lower translation conveyors, which transfer the trays from the stack with an unloading station to that with a loading station, are positioned in the conventional way, i.e., under the stacks of trays and transversely with respect to the trays.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2002Date of Patent: June 22, 2004Assignee: Cefla Soc. Coop. A.R.L.Inventors: Luigi Franzoni, Valdo Marini
-
Patent number: 6748772Abstract: A washing and drying machine and a clothes dryer including an air circulating duct for circulating air into the inner tub for washing or drying inputted clothes. An inner portion of a drum and an evaporator of the refrigerating cycle, may be positioned in the air circulating duct to dehumidify the circulated air to improve the efficiency of the dehumidifcation process of the circulated air, to reduce the required time for drying clothes and to reduce energy consumption.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 2002Date of Patent: June 15, 2004Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.Inventors: Won Hee Lee, Yoon Jei Hwang
-
Patent number: 6749655Abstract: A two-stage filtration system is coupled with an oven, such as a solder reflow oven, to remove a vapor stream from the oven and to remove organic compounds that have volatilized from a solder flux and other contaminants from the vapor stream. The filtration system includes a first stage for trapping larger particles and a second stage including a packed bed of wettable media, such as steel balls, for trapping smaller particles and serving as a nucleation site for condensed organic compounds. The first stage can be a centrifugal self-cleaning element in the form of a mesh strainer coupled with a rotary motor for spinning the mesh strainer.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 2002Date of Patent: June 15, 2004Assignee: Speedline Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Jon M. Dautenhahn
-
Patent number: 6725566Abstract: The invention relates to drying equipment and can be used in wood and wood treatment industries, etc., whenever parameters and procedures necessary to dry materials such as wood are used. The invention allows the drying process to achieve a higher degree of environmental protection, a larger product output and power saving features on the account of the following design of the plant: the drying chamber (1) which contains the material to be dried includes a bottom (4) which has two cavities (5,6); hot combustion products are injected into one of these cavities (5) from the flue pipe (9) of the furnace (3) which is used to burn wood waste; hot air is supplied into the other cavity (6), whereby said air is heated in pipes which are located in the flue (9), and is used as a drying agent.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 2002Date of Patent: April 27, 2004Inventors: Viktor Georgievich Skrotsky, Olga Panteleimonovna Skrotskaya
-
Patent number: 6722165Abstract: The present invention relates to a washing machine having a drying function, and more particularly, to a washing machine having a drying function, in which structures of a circulation duct and a fan/motor assembly are improved for improving a drying function and a productivity of the washing machine having a drying function. The present invention includes an outside case, an outer tub inside of the outside case for storage of washing water, an inner tub inside of the outer tub, a re-circulation duct connected between one side of a lower part of the outer tub and a top of the outer tub for providing a re-circulation passage of air in the inner tub, a fan/motor assembly fitted to the re-circulation duct with a motor shaft positioned horizontal, for blowing the air, and a heater fitted downstream of the fan/motor assembly on the re-circulation duct, for heating the circulating air.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2002Date of Patent: April 20, 2004Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.Inventors: Kyung Chul Woo, In Chul Jeong