| 摘要 |
<p>The invention provides a method and apparatus for energy efficient drying of moist material, for example washed garments, using superheated steam as the drying medium. Apparatus for carrying out the method comprises a casing (10) which is thermally insulated and gas-tight apart from an outlet vent (11). The air initially within the casing is circulated by a fan (13) through a heat source (16) and through moist garments (17). The heated air produces steam from the moisture in the garments which, due to the resultant increase in pressure in the casing, eventually displaces the air from the casing. Continued recirculation of the steam through the heat source (16) causes it to become superheated. As the process continues, and more moisture is evaporated from the garments, a portion of the superheated steam is continually discharged through the vent (11) where it passes into a condenser where its thermal energy is recovered and is tranferred by heat exchange to, for example, water which may be used for other purposes.</p> |
