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Abstract

A laundry drying system and method in which fresh air flows through a low temperature duct of a preheater, then through a primary heater before entering a laundry drying chamber is described. The air enters into contact with laundry in the chamber, then is exhausted, flowing through a high temperature duct of the preheater. In the preheater, heat pipes transfer heat from the exhaust air in the high temperature duct to the fresh air in the low temperature duct. Thus, heat which would otherwise be discarded in the exhaust air stream is recovered for use in the drying process. The preheater preferably uses heat pipes having a liquid return tube and set in a plate fin heat exchanger. To provide for a cool down cycle, there is a bypass which defeats the operation of the preheater. Lint exhausted by the drying chamber is partly collected by a dry type lint remover between the chamber exhaust and the preheater. Lint not thus collected can accumulate on the edges of the heat exchanger fins, which are closely spaced for this purpose, rather than accumulate on the heat pipes. Provision is made to open the system for removal of the accumulated lint and to pull out the preheater for cleaning off substances condensed in its high temperature duct.

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