| 摘要 |
Articles that have been washed in a chamber 102 are then dried in the same chamber. The chamber is supplied with a vacuum or partial vacuum to assist in the drying by evaporation. The chamber is also supplied with heat through a valve unit 112 and openings 176 to accelerate the drying process. The heat may be supplied after the vacuum or in alternating steps with it. The pressure in the chamber during the or each heating step may be maintained at or above atmospheric pressure. A temperature sensitive control is provided to reduce or stop the heating if the temperature within the chamber exceeds a predetermined value. The heat may originate from an infrared source or from an electric heating element 163 linked to a fan 162 for forcing hot air into the chamber. The air may be ionised 165 before or after it is heated by forcing it through a jet orifice or exposing it to an electric field. The chamber is sealed in a housing (28, figure 2) by either two seals or a single bi-directional seal that resist the ingress or egress of fluid between a door and an opening in the chamber. The chamber may have a non-cylindrical shape such as an ellipse. |
