Analytical and Experimental Studies of Rapid Cloth Drying for Technological Innovation

This paper presents analytical and experimental studies of a rapid cloth drying process. The mathematical models are developed from mass diffusion of wet clothes under hot and dry air conditions There are three critical factors: air temperature, air humidity, and the mass transport coefficient. Experiments of outdoor cloth drying are investigated as a benchmark. It is found drying duration is about 2-3 hours for satisfactory drying states under sunny weather. To reduce drying period, the mass transport coefficient is the highest sensitive factor while it can be adjusted by air speed through clothes. Experimental results of a rapid cloth drying heat pump show that the drying period can be reduced to 12 minutes with COP of 5.4. This understanding is able to strengthen development of rapid cloth drying for technological innovation.