A New Physics-Based Drying Model of Thin Clothes in Air-Vented Clothes Dryers

A new physics-based model for the drying process is introduced, capable of accounting for both fabric sizes and types. This is achieved by using the probability function and the latent heat of the water at a given temperature. Furthermore, the dependence of drying efficiency on various drying load sizes is discussed and a new interpretation of drying efficiency, called normalized drying efficiency, is presented. This allows coherent and meaningful comparison of the process efficiency across various load sizes and cycle times. Finally, percolation theory is introduced to explain qualitatively the effect of clothes load sizes on the drying process. This is achieved through determining the probabilities of a volume ratio (vacant volume per total drum volume), which is the probability of the interaction between the clothes loads and hot air flow in the clothes dryer. The model is validated using both experimental and literature data and is now being used for the development of an energy efficient moisture removal process, which is essential to the design of next-generation energy efficient clothes dryers.