Drying apparatus and drying method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10995985-B2
Application number	US-201615099208-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2016
Priority date	Dec 9, 2015
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

A drying apparatus includes a gas flow channel, a first hollow fiber module, a second hollow fiber module, a gas driver and a control unit. The gas flow channel is used to accommodate an article and has a first terminal and a second terminal. The first and second hollow fiber modules are disposed at the first and second terminals respectively to adsorb water or to be electrified to desorb water. The gas driver disposed in a gas flow path of the gas flow channel drives the gas flowing into the gas flow channel through the first hollow fiber module and flowing out from the gas flow channel through the second hollow fiber module, or flowing into the gas flow channel through the second hollow fiber module and flowing out from the gas flow channel through the first hollow fiber module. The control unit provides power to the first and second hollow fiber modules and controls the gas driver.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drying apparatus, comprising:
a gas flow channel, used to accommodate an article and having a first terminal and a second terminal;
a first hollow fiber module, disposed inside the first terminal of the gas flow channel to adsorb water or to be electrified to desorb water;
a second hollow fiber module, disposed inside the second terminal of the gas flow channel to adsorb water or to be electrified to desorb water;
at least one gas driver, disposed in a gas flow path of the gas flow channel to drive a gas in a period of time flowing into the gas flow channel through the first hollow fiber module and flowing out from the gas flow channel through the second hollow fiber module, and in another period of time flowing into the gas flow channel through the second hollow fiber module and flowing out from the gas flow channel through the first hollow fiber module; and
a control unit, electrically coupled to the first hollow fiber module, the second hollow fiber module, and the at least one gas driver, so as to provide power to the first hollow fiber module, to provide power to the second hollow fiber module, and to control the at least one gas driver,
wherein the first hollow fiber module or the second follow fiber module is formed by at least one hollow fiber, the at least one hollow fiber has at least one hollow channel, the at least one hollow fiber comprises at least one adsorption material and at least one conductive material, and the conductive material is mixed with the absorption material,
wherein a desorption time that the control unit provides power to the first hollow fiber module is less than an adsorption time that the at least one gas driver drives the gas flowing into the gas flow channel through the second hollow fiber module.

2. The drying apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one gas driver is disposed adjacent to the first hollow fiber module or the second follow fiber module.

3. The drying apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one gas driver comprises:
a first gas driver, disposed adjacent to the first hollow fiber module and electrically coupled to the control unit, so as to drive the gas flowing into or out from the gas flow channel through the first hollow fiber module; and
a second gas driver, disposed adjacent to the second hollow fiber module and electrically coupled to the control unit, so as to drive the gas flowing into or out from the gas flow channel through the second hollow fiber module.

4. The drying apparatus as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor, disposed inside the gas flow channel and electrically coupled to the control unit.

5. The drying apparatus as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a humidity sensor, disposed inside the gas flow channel and electrically coupled to the control unit.

6. The drying apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the gas flow channel is an I-shaped, U-shaped, T-shaped or W-shaped channel.

7. A drying method, adapted to remove water contained in an article accommodated inside a gas flow channel, a first hollow fiber module being disposed inside a first terminal of the gas flow channel, a second hollow fiber module being disposed inside a second terminal of the gas flow channel, at least one gas driver being disposed in a gas flow path of the gas flow channel, the first hollow fiber module, the second hollow fiber module, and the at least one gas driver being electrically coupled to a control unit, the drying method comprising:
controlling the at least one gas driver via the control unit to drive a gas to flow into the gas flow channel through the first hollow fiber module such that the first hollow fiber module adsorbs water contained in the gas as the gas flows into the gas flow channel from an external of the gas flow channel, wherein the first hollow fiber module or the second follow fiber module is formed by at least one hollow fiber, the at least one hollow fiber has at least one hollow channel, the at least one hollow fiber comprises at least one adsorption material and at least one conductive material, and the conductive material is mixed with the absorption material;
after the control unit controls the at least one gas driver to drive the gas to flow into the gas flow channel through the first hollow fiber module, controlling the at least one gas driver via the control unit to drive a gas to flow into the gas flow channel through the second hollow fiber module such that the second hollow fiber module adsorbs water contained in the gas as the gas flows into the gas flow channel from the external of the gas flow channel; and
providing power to the first hollow fiber module by the control unit to desorb water contained in the first hollow fiber module during the control unit controls the at least one gas driver to drive the gas to flow into the gas flow channel through the second hollow fiber module, wherein a desorption time that the control unit provides power to the first hollow fiber module is less than an adsorption time that the at least one gas driver drives the gas flowing into the gas flow channel through the second hollow fiber module.

8. The drying method as recited in claim 7 , further comprising:
determining whether a preset value is achieved by the control unit, when the preset value is not achieved, steps that the first hollow fiber module and the second hollow fiber module adsorb water are alternately executed, when the preset value is achieved, steps that the first hollow fiber module and the second hollow fiber module adsorb water are stopped to be alternately executed.

9. The drying method as recited in claim 8 , wherein the preset value is a preset number of cycles of steps that the first hollow fiber module and the second hollow fiber module adsorb water are alternately executed, a preset value of humidity, or a preset drying time.

Assignees

• Ind Tech Res Inst

Inventors

• Tai Chin-Chih
• Lee Yi-Shan
• Wang Yun-Hsin
• Hsu Cheng-Fu

Classifications

• F26B21/331

  by using sorbent or hygroscopic materials, e.g. chemical substances or molecular sieves · CPC title

• F26B21/35

  Temperature; Pressure · CPC title

• F26B21/33

  Humidity · CPC title

• F26B3/04 Primary

  the gas or vapour circulating over or surrounding the materials or objects to be dried (F26B3/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F26B9/00 Primary

  Machines or apparatus for drying solid materials or objects at rest or with only local agitation; Domestic airing cupboards {(domestic laundry drying cabinets or chambers having heating or ventilating means D06F58/10)} · CPC title