Experimental Study of a Heat Pump Clothes Dryer Using Air-Conditioner’s Waste Heat

Abstract

The urbanised living in Malaysia is progressing toward having clothes dryers as essential household equipment. The major problems with the commercially available clothes dryer are the high-power consumption and the possible damage to the environment. This study aims to mitigate these issues with an eco-friendly heat pump clothes dryer. The heat pump principle is derived based on the waste heat from the condenser side of the indoor air conditioner units. The study analyses the feasibility and potential of a heat pump clothes dryer replacing the available clothes drying methods. A small-scale clothes dryer was fabricated using low-cost materials, and the air properties were measured to assess the shift in the drying process. The fabricated prototype can dry faster by approximately 3 hours than outdoor drying at the balcony. This moderate drying is gentle on clothes compared to commercial high-temperature dryers. The study also indicates the impact of temperature settings of the air conditioner on the drying time of clothes. The heat pump dryer can dry up to 1.5 kg of clothes in 3 hours using a portable air conditioner with a power rating of 1.5 HP. It is found from a simple cost analysis that implementing the heat pump clothes dryer can significantly reduce the equipment and electricity cost of the household