ETSE, UNIVERSIDADE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

Design of an ideal
hand dryer
Fundamentals of Chemical Proceses
Ral Bonenfant Muiz
15/09/2016
Ral Bonenfant Muiz

INDEX

HAND DRYER PROCESS AND PARAMETERS AFFECTED ................ 2

CRITICAL REVIEW .................................................................................... 3

MY PROPOSAL ........................................................................................... 5

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HAND DRYER PROCESS AND PARAMETERS AFFECTED

First of all, I will explain in a short way how does a hand dryer works. A
hand dryer functioning consists basically on a heating element which is
activated when a button is depressed or when a infrared sensor detects
movement. This heating element is usually made of Nichrome, which is a
alloy of Nickel(Ni) and Chromium(Cr) and can heat up the air temperature
that is similar as the surroundings ,50 degrees above that temperature. Air
is produced by a motor spinning a blower wheel, when the air is blown
over the heating element it warms and then is blow out of a tube directly
over the wet hands placed under the tube finish. The propose is to increase
the time involving in drying.

The process to produce hot air has a electric reason. Wires made of
Nichrome are set placed in coils in order to produce an electric resistance
and then when electric current passed through the wires it produce heat.
The coil surrounds a magnet which can move and when electric current
pass , it rotates.

The main process is called evaporation. Evaporation is a physical

phenomenon that consist on the vaporation of a liquid in the surface into a
gaseous phase. The warmth and pressure of air coming out of the dryer is
enough to evaporate water from wet hands. First, the air pressure blows off
water droplets from the hands and then the warmth dries out the moisture
from the hands.

In evaporation process some elements affected are the surrounding air

conditions and the conditions and properties of the liquid( in this case
water).According to Dalton

E=K(ps-pv)

where K=cte , (ps) is called saturated vapor pressure in water temperature

and (pv)is the vapor pressure in surrounding air. So, Pv and evaporation
depends on the water and air temperature. If this product is positive, there
is evaporation. Finally Ps>Pv.

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CRITICAL REVIEW

There are several different types and hand dryers brands on the market
nowadays but I chose 6 models which are some of the most popular and
recognized all over the world. I also chose them because they have small
different details between them , for example: if they are automatic or not,
the shape, the power and so on.

-The World Dryer Airforce has 1100 Watt and also 11 air outs in the
bottom, takes about 12-15 seconds to dry completely your hands and make
noise closer to 90Db. Its an automatic model. Here there are some
specifications .

-The Xlerator takes 13 second(more or less) to dry hands and it makes

90Db noise .This model allows to adjustable speed and sound and you can
also choose heat settings in four steps(high, medium, low and off). It is
multi voltage too:110-120V, 208-277V and 230V. It is an automatic model
too.

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-The Dyson Airblades Hand Dryer it,s an automatic model and,as you
can see, the shape is different than regular hand dryers that you usually
see,you can put completely your hands inside. It suplies around 110-120 V
of AC and 60 Hz of frecuency,the rated power is 1400W, the motor speed
is 81,000 rpm , it consumes 1 W and the energy consumption per dry is
0.00468 kWh. You can dry your hands in 12 seconds and the noise is less
than 85 Db.

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-The World Dryer Air Max can be automatic or push bottom operation,15
seconds dry time and its activated by infrared sensor(automatic drying
circle) if the automatic unit. If the push-bottom unit it is activated by
electro-mechanical timer with 25 Amp switch and 20 seconds cycle. It also
incorporates a 1600 Watt Nichrome wire heating element and provides a
50 F temperature rise. The motor operates at 12,000 rpm and deliver 238
CFM air flow at 98 mph.

-The American Dryer High Speed Extreme Air Hand Dryer.This

version has the heating element and it is a 1500Watt unit,takes 12 seconds
and 90Db . Can be connected to any voltage between 100 and 240 V and
50/60 Hz. The version without heating element only consumes 540 lots of
power so is very energy efficient, takes 4.5 Amps.

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-The Fast Dry JA01 Jet Air hand Dryer has got a light wich notice if the
hands and under the hand dryer( green color) or not ( red color). Of course
it is an automatic model with hands-fre sensor and takes 10-15 seconds dry
timer. You can also adjust the outputs so the factory setting is 18,000
rpms, 700W in the motor and 900W in the heating element, the average is
1600W. If you choose the minimun setting the motor runs at 12,000 rpms ,
with 350W instead of 700W in the motor and 450W in the heating element
instead of 900W and the final average is 800 W. The motor thermal
protection has got an auto reseting thermostat that turns off at 105C and
the same happens to the heating element, in this case the auto reseting
thermostat turns off at 85C.

MY PROPOSAL

My proposal hand dryer design will be focused in improve some

conditions like energy efficient and cost. My idea is to find a alternative
way to produce hot air inside the device excluding heating element, maybe
compressed air. Another brilliant idea will be no electric energy to run, it
will be fantastic to find a way to produce energy instead of electrical. Two
tubes will be required in my proposal, one by one hand. In order not to
waste energy, I propose not only and infrared motion led but a led that
detects if hand are dry, and if, it will turn off. Finally, I will placed the
device in a corner surrounding by walls in order not to pollute air with
bacteria's.