Tech Notes; Using Microwaves to Dry Clothes (Published 1991)
- ️https://www.nytimes.com/by/clifford-j-levy
- ️Sun Sep 15 1991
- Sept. 15, 1991
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IN the never-ending quest to cut the time spent on domestic chores, researchers are trying to bring the benefits of microwave energy to the laundry room.
The Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif., has built a prototype of a microwave clothes dryer that it hopes will substantially cut electricity costs in addition to reducing drying time. The experimental dryer, which looks and functions like a conventional dryer, will also lessen shrinkage and damage to clothing because it produces less heat, said Dr. John P. Kesselring, a senior project manager at the institute.
Standard dryers blow air heated to about 150 degrees on clothing, he said. But in the experimental dryer, microwaves target the water molecules clinging to the clothes -- not the fabric itself -- and the temperature needs to reach only about 100 degrees to evaporate the water.
"It's just like when you heat something in a microwave oven," Dr. Kesselring said. "You are heating the water molecules in the food."
The microwave process saves at least 25 percent of the electricity required in a conventional dryer because the air is not heated and the fan does not blow air on the clothes, Dr. Kesselring said. The dryer, he said, is as safe as a microwave oven. The institute is trying to determine how long the dryer should tumble the clothes and how much microwave energy is needed for an average load.
Researchers have found that as the moisture in the clothes decreases, the electrical charge inside the dryer rises, occasionally producing sparks on zippers or other metal objects, which could damage the clothing or the appliance. Dr. Kesselring said one solution might be to turn off the microwaves near the end of the drying process and -- like a standard dryer -- blow heat on the clothes to finish the load.
The institute, which is run by a consortium of the nation's utilities, is seeking a patent on the dryer and expects to conduct experiments for at least another year before offering it to manufacturers.
Dr. Kesselring said that when the dryer reached the market, it would probably cost slightly more than a conventional model.
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