| abstract |
The apparatus 10, suitable for drying a substance, includes a housing 20 having mounted therein a cylindrical drum 40 with an open front end and a closed rear end separated from the front end along an axis by a circumferential wall. The wall has at least one aperture passing through it, or a component mounted thereon. The drum is rotatably mounted about an axis. A fan assembly draws air along a flow path passing through the drum. The flow path enters the drum through the open front end and/or the closed rear end and exits through the at least one aperture. A method of operating an apparatus for washing and drying includes introducing wash water into a drum, operating a wash cycle having an extraction phase, rotating the drum at a first speed, an air-drying phase with a slower second speed and maintaining a flow of air into the drum which begins prior to completion of the extraction phase. An alternative washing/drying apparatus includes a fan assembly, a heater and a control system to activate the fan to induce airflow along a flow path and activate the heater to raise the temperature of the air. |