Analysis of the kinetic parameters of clothes drying in an electric vented dryer. Part II: Influence of the type of fabric

Abstract

In this experimental study, we quantified the impact of four factors of the drying process (power supplied to the heater coils, airflow, amount of clothes, and type of fabric) at two levels (low and high) on energy consumption (EC), total cycle time (TCT), and drying efficiency of an electric vented dryer. A numerical model previously developed was used to analyze some kinetic parameters of the drying process, such as evaporation rate, dehydration profile, water activity, and saturation pressure on the textile surface, among others. The two types of fabric used were 100% polyester and 100% cotton. This study concluded that polyester drying consumes less energy (29% evaluated with parameters at the low level and 6% assessed at the high level) than cotton with the same evaluated parameters.

Keywords:

• clothing drying
• drying efficiency
• drying time
• energy consumption
• experiments

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Victor Gonzalez, Engineering Director of the Care of Clothes Area, Francisco Hinojosa, Leader of Drive System and Fluids Subsystem, and Julieta Puig for their support and the facilities in conducting this research.

Additional information

Funding

This work has been supported and jointly developed by MABE Technology and Projects and the Instituto de Ingenieria of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico.