Analysis of the kinetic parameters of clothes drying in an electric vented dryer. Part I: Validation of a model and influence of power

Experimental and numerical models were used to analyze the kinetic parameters that affect the clothes drying process in an electric vented dryer. The numerical model was derived from a thermodynamic analysis of a dryer using mass and energy balances. The experimental study used a prototype of a dryer that was instrumented with data acquisition equipment. A textile made from 50% polyester and 50% cotton was used in the tests; the results were used to validate the model. The temperature and relative humidity of the air at the drum inlet and outlet, the evaporation rate, and the residual moisture in the clothes were analyzed. A procedure to calculate the mass and heat transfer coefficients inside the drum was presented. The numerical and experimental results showed that the behaviors of coefficients obtained at heating powers of 1300 W and 2000 W were almost constant during the drying period.