Water Cooled Condenser Dryer For Laundry Center

Abstract

A recirculating water-cooled low profile condensing unit for a vertically stacked combination clothes washer and non-vented dryer wherein a plurality of condenser plates, located in a plenum chamber above the dryer top wall, are arranged in a vertically spaced shallow V-shaped configuration. A serpentine cooling water series passageway is connected via valve means to the cold water inlet tube of the washer and contacts the plates in heat exchange relation such that the volume of water required for condensing is reduced to a minimum without increasing the drying time interval required for a vented dryer. A longitudinally extending center baffle partition is aligned with the apex of the plates so as to divide the spaces between the plates into a plurality of parallel side-by-side spent air inlet and condensed air outlet air flow passages to maximize the condensing plate surface contacted by the recirculating drying air. Condensate flows from the plates to an underlying conforming shallow V-shaped drain pan for discharge into the washer located beneath the dryer.

Description

This invention relates to a vertically stacked combination clothes washer and clothes dryer, and more particularly, to a recirculating water cooled condenser for the combination washer and nonvented dryer for removing moisture from the drying air without increasing the drying time interval.

As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,235 issued Dec. 8, 1970 to M.A. Menk, and assigned to the same assignee as the instant application, the vertically stacked combination clothes washer and vented clothes dryer incorporates a mounting arrangement for a laundry center wherein the clothes dryer is stacked on top of the clothes washer so as to provide an appliance that has a minimal overall vertical height such that the superimposed dryer is convenient for loading and operating and also for locating the appliance in low ceiling environments such as alcoves or closets.

It is an object of this invention to provide a vertically stacked combination clothes washer and nonvented clothes dryer incorporating a recirculating air condensing arrangement of the water cooled type for removing moisture from the drying air without materially increasing the overall size of the unit while minimizing the volume of condensing water required.

Another object of this invention is a provision of a combination of a washer-dryer appliance such that the dryer is in a stacked-on cabinet with the dryer top wall having a low profile water-cooled condenser formed of a plurality of super-imposed vertically spaced plates in a plenum chamber, each having a chevron or shallow V-shaped configuration in cross section cooled by a single cooling water passageway in the form of a serpentine coil associated with the plates. A longitudinal center partition or air baffle, aligned with the crests of the plate V's divides the spaces therebetween into a network of side-by-side inlet and outler parallel air passageways which communicate via a duct housing on the back wall of the dryer for recirculation of drying air therebetween. The condenser plates are sloped to the center drain trough allowing the water of condensation to pass downwardly on either side of the baffle to a subjacent drain pan having a complementary shallow V-shaped cross section for passage via the cooling water drain tube to the drain facilities of the washer below.

In the Drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the combination washer-dryer incorporating the water-cooled condenser of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view, partly in elevation and partly in section, with parts cut away to show the water circulating system of the condenser;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the duct housing for mounting on the rear wall of the dryer;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the dryer portion of the appliance with parts cut away to show the air recirculating system between the condenser and the dryer;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the water cooled condenser components;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plane view of the condenser in flat assembly;

FIG. 7 is a section of the condenser taken on line 7--7 of FIG. 6.

In accordance with this invention and with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, a vertically stacked combination washer-dryer or domestic laundry center 10 is illustrated. The appliance is comprised of a clothes washer or article washing machine 14 and a clothes dryer or article drying machine 16 located directly above the washing machine 14. Details of the clothes washer 14 form no part of the instant invention. For a description of one type of washing machine suitable for use with the dryer, reference may be had to the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,235, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

The clothes dryer 16, located immediately above the clothes washer 14, has its cabinet portion mounted on the top wall 20 of the washing machine cabinet. The dryer cabinet includes vertical side walls 22 and 23 located in the same vertical plane as the side walls 24 and 25, respectively, of the washing machine cabinet. The dryer cabinet also has a front wall formed of a substantially vertical upper portion 26 including a control panel 27 and a slanted or non-vertical lower portion 28. The dryer cabinet portion also has a rear panel 30 (FIG. 4) having an indented portion 31 and an inwardly canted portion 32 with perforations 33 therethrough. Mounted on the rear panel 30 behind the indented portion 31 is a heater support panel 34 carrying a plurality of electric heaters 36 located within a heater cavity formed by the heater panel 34 and the indented portion 31 of the rear panel 30. The panel 34 is also provided with four rows of openings 35 near its upper edge and behind the heater so that air may be drawn across the heaters and heated before entering the drum or clothes treatment enclosure as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,393, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. The rear panel 30 with the indented portion 31 and the heater panel 34 are assembled together as a unit and mounted on rear flanges 37 of the side walls of the dryer cabinet.

Mounted behind the vertical portion of the front wall 26 of the dryer cabinet includes a dryer access opening 42, while a dryer door 44 is pivotally mounted on a vertical axis to form a closure for the dryer access opening 42. Located within the dryer cabinet is a rotating drum 54 which is cylindrical and perforate, the details of which are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,235.

A belt 60 encircles the drum 54 and is driven by a prime mover including a motor 62 and a power shaft 63. The power shaft 63 directly drives a blower 54 and the belt 60. As the blower 54 is driven, air is impelled through an air flow duct system, indicated by the solid line arrows in FIG. 4, as follows. Air is drawn through the opening 35 in the heater panel 34, downwardly past the heaters 36, where it is heated, then through the perforations 33 of the indented portion 32 and diagonally through the dryer drum enclosure 54. The air is drawn through the perforations 66, located in the lower part of the stationary front portion 68, and passes through the lint filter 70 positioned behind these last-named perforations 66, and the passageway 72 to the blower 64 and is then exhausted from the dryer cabinet by way of a flexible conduit 74 which is adapted for connection by means of a collar 76 (FIG. 2) to a rear exhaust opening in the rear panel 30.

A back ducting panel, shown generally at 80 in FIG. 3, is preferably formed in a one-piece integral molded manner from suitable plastic material such as A.B.S. plastic, provides a rectangular pan-shaped duct panel member having a surrounding turned-out flat flange 81 covered with a felt strip 82 for air-tight sealed abutment to the outer periphery of the rear panel 30, heater panel 34 and the open end of the top mounted condenser plenum housing 83 (FIG. 4) by suitable threaded fasteners positioned in holes 84. The ducting panel 80 provides an upwardly diverging vertically elongated spent drying air expansion duct 86 and a generally box-shaped condensed air venting cavity 88 separated by a vertical partition 89 having a diverging wall portion 90 and a vertical wall portion 91. The expansion duct 86 includes a lower cover panel 92 having an upper cover panel 94 inwardly off-set by notched portion 96. The lower border of upper cover panel 94 includes lower seal means in the form of a flat felt strip 98 which is flush with felt seal portion 99 located on the edge of recessed transverse partition 100. The felt seals 98 and 99 are adapted to abutt in a sealed manner with the turned edge of outwardly directed transverse flange 102 formed along the bottom edge of the heater support panel 34. The off-set wall 94 is defined at its upper extremity by transverse upper seal means formed by sealing strip 103 defining the lower edge of a rectangular spent air duct outlet 104. The lower end of casing 86 has an opening 105 fitted with a collar 106 which mates in a sealed manner with collar 76 in rear panel 34. It will be noted that in the preferred form the depth of duct housing 80 is about 2.0 inches so as not to add materially to the overall depth of the dryer cabinet.

The venting cavity 88 and the duct outlet 104 are separated by partition 91 having a flanged felt seal strip 110 coplanar with panel duct flat flange 82 for sealed contact with the baffle to be described.

The low profile condenser housing 83 shown in FIG. 5 is located on and coextensive with the dryer cabinet top wall 112 and enclosed on three sides by means of rectangular flanged side panels 114 and 116 and a removal clip-on front panel 118. The front panel 118 has an upper integral reverse bent clip flange 120 operative to be received in notched portions 122 and 124 of side panels 114 and 116, respectively, together with lower push-in clips 125. An L-shaped angle member 126 is suitably secured to the top wall 112 as by threaded fasteners 128 while the outward faces of the angle 126 and front flanges of the side panels 114, 116 and L-shaped angle 126 are provided with sealing material 132, 133 and 134 such as felt strips, for example. A top condenser chamber cover plate 136, having downwardly extending front and rear flanges 138, 140 is affixed to the top flanges 142 and 144 of the side panels such as by threaded fasteners 146. Rear flanges 148 and 149 are provided on the side panels 114, 116 respectively, for abuttingly receiving in a sealed manner with coplanar flange 140 the upper portion of housing peripheral flange 82 to complete a condenser planeum cavity 150 coextensive with the top wall 112 of the dryer and having a low profile vertical height of about 5.50 inches so as not to add materially to the overall height of the washer-dryer cabinet.

A plate-type condenser assembly, generally indicated at 160 in FIG. 5, fabricated for vertical spaced location in the plenum cavity 150 by support means in the form of upper and lower polystyrene expanded or cast foam insulation pieces 162 and 164. The lower cast insulation piece 164 is provided between the top wall 112 of the dryer cabinet and condensate drain pan 166 and has a shallow V-shaped upper surface 168 for receiving the conforming shallow V-shaped bottom wall 170 of the pan 166. The drain pan has a peripheral upstanding flange 172 for retaining condensate water for flow to its center longitudinal fold-line or apex 174 while a drain receptacle 176 is located adjacent the aft portion of the drain pan 166 adjacent to the apex 174 for receiving the condensate water. In the disclosed form of the invention condenser means in the form of assembly 178 comprising two side-by-side tiers of paired plates 180 and 182 arranged in stacked symmetrical fashion with each pair of plates having a shallow V-shape cross-section supported in vertically spaced conforming relation to the adjacent pair of plates.

As seen in FIG. 5, cooling water flow passage means contacting the paired tiers of plates are shown in the form of a single coil 183 consisting of a continuous tube or pipe having a plurality of parallel, generally straight portions 184 interconnected by return bend portions 186 to provide series flow of cooling water through the water supply tubing. The cooling coil 183 is secured to the plates 180, 182 preferably formed of aluminum sheet material, in any suitable manner, such as by welded straps shown at 185 to provide a good heat conductive bond between the plates and the tube. The plates 180, 182 and coil 183 are folded upon themselves in S-shaped fashion to provide the paired tiers shown.

Identical condenser support means, in the form of coil support header cap plates 187 and 188, are secured by their end flanges 192 and 194 adjacent either side flanges 172 of the drain pan 170 and are provided with suitable slotted openings 196 for receiving the return bend portions 186 of the coil 183 therethrough. Although in the disclosed form of the invention the coil 183 and rectangular plates are shown as being separately fabricated members, it is understood that the condenser plate could be made in the form of roll bonded sheets in integral form by means in which a continuous plate with expanded passageways could be fabricated and return folded in a similar S-shape manner.

In the preferred form of the invention each pair of shallow V-shaped condenser plates 180 and 182 are sloped inwardly at a drain angle of about 1 inch in 10.5 inches while the vertical spacing between banks of plates is about one inch and the spacing between the topmost and bottommost pair of plates and the insulation pieces 162 and 164, respectively, is about three-eighth inch to provide four tiered parallel air flow passages. The dimension of each of the paired rectangular plates 180 and 182 is of the order of 9.5 inches by 12.00 inches. A pair of side insulation pieces 202 and 204 are shown in FIG. 5 having an inwardly facing groove 206 for encasing the return bend portion 186 of the cooling coils 183.

In order to divide the sandwich or tiered plate condenser into side-by-side air entrance and air return passes a longitudinally extending divider baffle, indicated 210 in FIG. 5, is provided which in the disclosed form is provided with a plurality of vertically extending equally spaced slots 212, thus allowing the baffle 210 to be positioned between the pair of tiered plates 180 and 182 with the coil straight pipe sections 184 being received in the slots 212. As viewed in FIG. 4, the rear facing edge 214 of the baffle 210 is located flush with the outer faces of the condenser housing flanges 140, 148 and 149 such that the sealing strip 110 of duct housing 80 abutts the baffle edge 214 in an air sealing manner upon mounting of the ducting panel 80. In this way spent moist drying air exits ducting panel outlet 104 and is drawn into the condenser plenum chamber 150 for movement through the tiered parallel laminar flow passages defined between the right hand tier of plates 180 (as viewed in FIG. 5).

The spent air passes into the forward plenum chamber crossover duct 220 defined by the forward edge 213 of the baffle plate 210 and the front removable panel 118, which in the form shown is about 7.3 inches, such that the drying air is redirected through an angle of 180.degree., indicated by the dashed arrows in FIG. 5. Thus, the spent drying air is drawn by blower 64 through separate laminar flow parallel passages between the condenser plates 180 where it is allowed to mix in crossover duct 220 before entering the flow passages between plates 182. The decrease in velocity and increase in turbulence of the air in plenum chamber duct 220 allows the settling out of lint into the crossover duct 220 which lint can be periodically collected by the housewife by removal of the front panel 118.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 6 the condenser plate coolant inlet tubing 230 mates with a cold water inlet tube 232 via connection 234. The lower end of tube 232 is connected to a solenoid controlled valve 236 which valve is in turn connected to one branch 238 of a Y connection 240 having its stem portion connected to the cold water inlet tube 242, adjacent hot water inlet tube 243, for the washing machine 14 of the combined appliance. The coolant water exits the plate condenser coil 183 by outlet pipe 241, connected by flare connector 244 to coolant drain pipe 246 which is in turn connected to one branch 248 of a second Y connector 250 which has its stem portion connected to a flexible condensate drain tube 252. The flexible drain tube 252 exits from the rear overhang 254 of the dryer cabinet and is attached by suitable means such as straps 256 to the washer drain tube 258 for discharge to any convenient drainage or sewage system. As seen in FIG. 2 the condensate water drain receptacle 176 is connected to a condensate drain pipe 260 which is connected to the other branch 262 of a second Y connection 250 for drainage into tube 252.

While the embodiment of the present invention herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

Claims

I claim:

1. In combination a stack-on laundry appliance comprising a lower washer cabinet including a top wall, said washer cabinet adapted to be associated with a source of water supply and a drain, an article drying cabinet mounted directly on the top wall of said washer cabinet, said article drying cabinet comprising a box-like structure enclosing a rotatable tumbling drum including a front panel having a front access opening and a rear wall having a portion thereof provided with air inlet means, an exhaust air outlet opening in the rear wall, means for recirculating heated air through said tumbling drum including a drying air blower having an inlet and an outlet, means connecting said blower inlet to the interior of said tumbling drum, means connecting said blower outlet to said exhaust air outlet, an apertured heater support plate mounted on said dryer rear wall rearwardly thereof and cooperating with the heater cavity portion of said rear wall to form a heater cavity, heater means supported adjacent said rear wall air inlet means whereby condensed air may be heated prior to being drawn into said drum through said inlet means wherein the improvement comprises, a condenser plenum housing located coextensive with the top wall of said dryer cabinet having an open rear end wall, two side-by-side tiers of water cooled vertically spaced condenser plates in said condenser housing, each pair of opposed plates symmetrically positioned in shallow V-shaped configuration in cross-section, means for recirculating cooling water from said washing machine source of water supply in heat exchange relation with said condenser plates for return to said washer drain, a vertical positioned longitudinally extending divider baffle located between said tiered plates dividing said open rear end wall of said condenser housing into a spent air-intake side and a condensed air-discharge side, said tiered condenser plates providing a plurality of laminar flow parallel air flow passages therebetween, said plates spaced a defined distance from said condenser plenum housing front end wall providing a cross-over mixing air flow space at the closed portion thereof, duct means on the rear wall of said dryer cabinet, said duct means providing a first duct section conducting the dryer spent air from the blower outlet to the air-intake side of said condenser plenum, said duct means providing a second duct section conducting the condensed air from the air-discharge side of said condenser plenum housing to said rear wall inlet means so as to be drawn therethrough for reheating and return to said drum.

2. In combination a stack-on laundry appliance comprising a lower washer cabinet including a top wall, said washer cabinet adapted to be associated with a source of water supply and a drain, an article drying cabinet mounted directly on the top wall of said washer cabinet, said article drying cabinet comprising a box-like structure enclosing a rotatable tumbling drum including a front panel having a front access opening and a rear wall having a portion thereof perforated and offset inwardly to form a heater cavity portion, an exhaust air outlet opening in the rear wall adjacent the dryer bottom wall, means for recirculating heated air through said tumbling drum including a drying air blower having an inlet and an outlet, means connecting said blower inlet to the interior of said tumbling drum, means connecting said blower outlet to said exhaust air outlet, an apertured heater support plate mounted on said dryer rear wall rearwardly thereof and cooperating with the heater cavity portion of said rear wall to form a heater cavity, heater means supported by said heater support panel within said heater cavity whereby air may be drawn into said drum through said apertures past said heater means wherein the improvement comprises, a condenser plenum housing located coextensive with the top wall of said dryer cabinet having an open rear end wall, two side-by-side tiers of water cooled vertically spaced condenser plates in said condenser housing, each pair of opposed plates symmetrically positioned in shallow V-shaped configuration in cross-section, a single-pass water conducting passageway comprising a tubing bent in the form of a serpentine coil provided with a plurality of looped ends extending between said plates and a plurality of straight portions contacting said plates, means for circulating cooling water from said washing machine source of water supply through said tubing for return to said washer drain, a vertical positioned longitudinally extending divider baffle located between said tiered plates dividing said open rear end wall of said condenser housing into a spent air-intake side and a condensed air-discharge side, a condensate drain pan folded about a longitudinal fold line providing a shallow V-shaped bottom wall in cross section conforming with said plates and positioned subjacent thereto, a drain receptacle located substantially at the apex of said fold line for receiving condensate water from said plates, said plates spaced a defined distance from said condenser plenum housing front end wall providing a cross-over turbulent air flow space at the closed portion thereof, and a pan-shaped back panel duct housing coextensive with the backwall of said dryer cabinet providing side-by-side inlet and outlet openings separated by a vertical partition, said vertical partition having its outer edge in sealed abutment with the rear edge of said baffle plate whereby said duct inlet and outlet openings are in communication, respectively with said spent air-intake and said condensed air-discharge of said plenum housing, said duct housing having a first vertically oriented duct section enclosed by a closure panel conducting the dryer spent air from the blower outlet to the air-intake side of said condenser plenum, said closure panel having a portion thereof overlying said heater panel apertures rearwardly off-set from the plane of said vertical partition rear sealing edge, said back panel duct housing providing a second open duct conducting the condensed air from the air-discharge side of said condenser plenum housing for drawing through the perforated heater plate for reheating and return to said drum.

3. In combination a stack-on laundry appliance comprising a lower washer cabinet including a top wall, said washer cabinet adapted to be associated with a source of water supply and a drain, an article drying cabinet mounted directly on the top wall of said washer cabinet, said article drying cabinet comprising a box-like structure enclosing a rotatable tumbling drum including a front panel having a front access opening and a rear wall having a portion thereof perforated and offset inwardly to form a heater cavity portion, an exhaust air outlet opening in the rear wall, means for recirculating heated air through said tumbling drum including a drying air blower having an inlet and an outlet, means connecting said blower inlet to the interior of said tumbling drum, means connecting said blower outlet to said exhaust air outlet, an apertured heater support panel mounted on said dryer rear wall rearwardly thereof and cooperating with the heater cavity portion of said rear wall to form a heater cavity, heater means supported by said heater support panel within said heater cavity whereby air may be drawn into said drum through said apertures past said heater means wherein the improvement comprises, a condenser plenum housing located coextensive with the top wall of said dryer cabinet having an open rear end wall, two side-by-side tiers of water cooled vertically spaced condenser plates in said condenser housing, each pair of opposed plates symmetrically positioned in shallow V-shaped configuration in cross-section, serpentine cooling water flow passage means contacting said plates, a vertical positioned longitudinally extending divider baffle located between said tiered plates dividing said open rear end wall of said condenser housing into side-by-side spent air-intake and condensed air-discharge openings, said condenser plates spaced a defined distance from said condenser plenum housing front end wall providing a cross-over air flow space at the closed front end portion of said plenum, and a pan-shaped ducting panel having a surrounding flat flange sealed to the periphery of said dryer cabinet rear wall, said ducting panel having a substantially vertical partition dividing said duct panel into an open cavity portion and a closed duct portion enclosed by a closure panel, said duct portion having an upper air outlet in coextensive sealed relation with said plenum spent air-intake and a lower spent air-inlet in communication with said blower outlet, said closed duct portion having an upper cover portion in spaced overlying relation with a portion of said heater panel apertures whereby said cavity portion is in communication with said heater panel apertures such that condensed air from said plenum housing air-discharge is drawn through said heater panel apertures for reheating and return to said drum.

4. In a clothes dryer having an article drying cabinet, said article drying cabinet comprising a box-like structure enclosing a rotatable tumbling drum including a front panel having a front access opening and a rear wall having a portion thereof perforated and offset inwardly to form a heater cavity portion, an exhaust air outlet opening in the rear wall, means for recirculating heated air through said tumbling drum including a drying air blower having an inlet and an outlet, means connecting said blower inlet to the interior of said tumbling drum, means connecting said blower outlet to said exhaust air outlet, an apertured heater support panel mounted on said dryer rear wall rearwardly thereof and cooperating with the heater cavity portion of said rear wall to form a heater cavity, heater means supported by said heater support panel within said heater cavity whereby air may be drawn into said drum through said apertures past said heater means wherein the improvement comprises, a condenser plenum housing located coextensive with the top wall of said dryer cabinet having an open rear end wall, two side-by-side tiers of water cooled vertically spaced condenser plates in said condenser housing, each pair of opposed plates symmetrically positioned in shallow V-shaped configuration in cross-section, serpentine cooling water flow passage means contacting said plates, a vertical positioned longitudinally extending divider baffle located between said tiered plates dividing said open rear end wall of said condenser housing into side-by-side spent air-intake and condensed air-discharge openings, said condenser plates spaced a defined distance from said condenser plenum housing front end wall providing a cross-over mixing air flow space at the closed front end portion of said plenum, and a pan-shaped ducting panel having a surrounding flat flange sealed to the periphery of said dryer cabinet rear wall, said ducting panel having a substantially vertical partition dividing said duct panel into an open cavity portion and a closed duct portion enclosed by a closure panel, said duct portion having an upper air outlet in coextensive sealed relation with said plenum spent air-intake and a lower spent air-inlet in communication with said blower outlet, said closed duct portion having an upper cover portion in spaced overlying relation with a portion of said heater panel apertures whereby said cavity portion is in communication with said heater panel apertures such that condensed air from said plenum housing air-discharge is drawn through said heater panel apertures for reheating and return to said drum.