When it comes to drying, there’s a lot that goes into making sure your clothes stay dry. From the type of fabric, you’re drying and what kind of humidity level you have in your home, to where you are in terms of your climate. The result is that different types of clothes require different drying methods. Not all drying methods work well for every fabric or situation. For example, tumble drying might be great if your main concern is getting rid of excess water before putting something else into the washing machine again. However, if you need to keep as much moisture out as possible for a particular item like sweaters or coats, then a fluidized-bed dryer is probably a better option.

What is a fluidized-bed dryer?

In a fluidized-bed dryer, the drying air is maintained between a gas and a liquid. The gas is slightly less dense than the liquid and will float on top of it. As the drying air passes through the liquid, the gas will be drawn towards the surface making the air denser than the liquid. This action causes the air to flow evenly across the fabric, allowing it to be dried more quickly. In most fluid bed dryers, the gas used is usually a hybrid of Argon and Helium (He). He is the cleanest of the gases that are used in dryers and is odorless. The Argon gives the dryer water and heat resistance, so is slightly more expensive to run. You can also find dryers that use R134a, a standard refrigerant that can also be used to cool food.

How does a fluid bed dryer work?

In a fluid bed dryer, the drying air is maintained between a gas and a liquid. The gas is slightly less dense than the liquid and will float on top of it. As the drying air passes through the liquid, the gas will be drawn towards the surface making the air denser than the liquid. The surface tension of the liquid will then try to draw the gas back to the surface of the liquid, causing the air to be slightly less dense than the liquid. As the air flows evenly across the fabric, it can then be collected by a series of nozzles or a plate inside the dryer. This allows it to flow evenly out of the dryer, reducing the risk of clogging.

Drying effectiveness of a fluid bed dryer

When it comes to drying effectiveness, fluid bed dryers are very similar to drum dryers. On average, they can reduce water uptake by between 70 and 80%. Therefore, fabric that would otherwise be wet after one cycle in a drum dryer can often be completely dry after one cycle in a fluid bed dryer. The advantages of the fluid bed come from how the air is heated and how it gets to the fabric. The flow of the heated air is important to the drying process. Effective drying comes from the heated air hitting the surface of the fabric and flowing out evenly. For this to happen, the heated air must be able to flow freely across the surface of the fabric. This is what a fluid bed dryer does well.

Fluidized-bed drying applications

– Drying Carpet – As with most dryers, liquid bed dryers are great for drying carpets because the heat penetrates deeply into the fibers and removes most of the water. As a bonus, you can use the hot water from the cleaning process to pre-treat the carpets with a deodorizer. – Drying Sports Gear – If you’re trying to get rid of excess moisture in your sports gear like soccer balls, footballs, or netball uniforms, then a fluid bed dryer is a great option. This type of dryer can reduce the water content in these sports items by around 80%. – Air-Drying Clothes – The majority of dryers on the market require a temperature setting between 40 and 60 degrees. Fluid bed dryers, however, can often be used to dry clothes between 5 and 25 degrees Celsius. This is great for when you need to dry clothes quickly, but don’t want them to be as effective at removing moisture. – Drying Wet Clothing – Often when people come home from the beach, the first thing they do is hang their wet towels to dry outside. This can cause mold growth and ruin your clothes. Alternatively, if you don’t want to put your clothes through the washing machine again, you can use the warm air from a dryer to help remove some of the moisture from your clothes using a fluid bed dryer.

Drying effectiveness of a drum dryer

A drum dryer is similar to a drum steamer in that they both use steam to remove the moisture from the fabric. Drum dryers, however, don’t maintain high temperatures. Instead, they use less steam and lower temperatures, but allow the fabric to “breathe” while still getting rid of the majority of the moisture. This means they’re less effective at removing water content, but can be used on a wider range of fabrics. Dryers with drum-type heaters are also known as drum heaters. They are a type of electric fan that produces hot air through a rotating drum. The rotational speed of the drum determines the amount of air blown through the drum, and this is what affects the temperature of the air blown out of the dryer.

Drum Dryer Drying Applications

– Drying Clean Fabrics – Dry cleaning is the most common use for dryers that use drum-type heaters. The low temperatures can remove the excess water from normal cotton, polyester, and silk fabrics without damaging the fabric. – Drying Drying Clean Fabrics – If you’re drying clean fabrics like polyester, silk, or cotton again, then a drum dryer is a great option. Drum dryers are also able to reduce the water content of these fabrics by around 40-60%. – Air-Drying Clothes – If you’re not in a rush to get your clothes dry again, then you can use a drum dryer to reduce the moisture content in your clothes using warm air from a dryer. Drum dryers can do this because the low temperature stops the fabric from losing too much water. – Drying Wet Clothing – There are several dryers on the market that use drum-type heaters. Some people prefer these types of dryers to drum steamers because they can reduce the moisture content in wet clothes on the go, while not requiring electricity.

Which type of dryer to choose?

Drum-type dryers are usually a cheaper option and give good performance for air-drying clothes. They also produce less noise than other types of drum dryers. Blade-type heaters produce high temperatures, but they also produce high levels of emissions. Fluid bed dryers are usually the most expensive, but they provide the best drying results. Air blowers are the least effective and they produce the least amount of emissions.