We can find multiple electronic appliances in the market that has an application of removing excess water or converting liquid into the gaseous state.
Evaporator and dryer are two well-known drying gadgets around us. A dryer is a device used frequently in household activities, and an evaporator is used in various cooling systems and at a professional level in labs.
Key Takeaways
- Evaporators remove moisture from a substance by converting the liquid into vapor, primarily used in cooling systems like air conditioners and refrigerators.
- Dryers remove moisture through heat and airflow, commonly used for drying clothes, food, and other materials.
- Evaporators require a lower temperature, whereas dryers utilize higher temperatures for drying.
Evaporator vs Dryer
An evaporator is a device used to remove liquid from a solution by converting it into a vapor, leaving behind concentrated solids or a more concentrated liquid. A dryer is a device used to remove moisture from a substance or product, such as clothes, food, etc. using heat, air, or both.
An evaporator is a device invented by Norbert Rillieux (a French-American). Its function is to evaporate an excessive amount of liquid by turning it into a gas form.
It is preinstalled in electronic gadgets such as refrigerators, air conditioners, etcetera. The idea has originated from the natural water cycle in which sunrays evaporates water into water vapor.
A dryer is an electronic device intended to dry a variety of materials like clothing, hair, grains, hands, etc. Some dryers are convenient and portable, while others stay in one area.
Earlier dryers were invented in the 19th century, and their prime task was to dry the hair in the fashion industry.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Evaporator | Dryer |
|---|---|---|
| Invented In | An evaporator has been on market since 1845. | A dryer primarily used for drying hair flooded the market in 1888. |
| Preinstalled In | An evaporator is preinstalled in air conditioners and refrigerators. | A dryer is preinstalled with the clothes washing machine. |
| Used In | An evaporator has its applications in the pharmaceutical industry, food, and beverages industry. | A dryer is a device utilized in the fashion industry and at home. |
| Purpose | An evaporator is behind the conversion of chemical liquid into gas. | A dryer is for removing the moisture from different products. |
| Temperature | An evaporator requires a temperature equal to the boiling point. | A dryer requires a temperature below boiling point. |
What is Evaporator?
An evaporator, as the name implies, works on the evaporation principle. Evaporation is a natural process in the water cycle, that evaporated liquid in the gaseous form with sunlight.
Evaporator was firstly devised in 1845 after its prototype was ready. Its principal is to convert liquid-based chemicals into gas form. It is used in multiple industries on a similar principle.
There are mainly four types of evaporators (falling film evaporators, nucleate boiling evaporators, flash evaporators, and direct contact evaporators).
Falling film evaporators are used for concentrating the solutions which are heat sensitive. In this, evaporation takes place either in vertical or horizontal tubes. It is also used in the refrigerator for cooling.
The nucleate boiling evaporators are the subset of the boiling system and are heat transfer devices. It consists of many sub evaporators (Climbing Film Evaporator, Basket-type Evaporator, etcetera).
The liquid will be heated at a specified pressure before being flashed at low pressure in a flash evaporator. The idea behind it is to restore the liquid from the vapors formed.
This process is made for seawater distillation plants to produce distilled water by evaporating the saltwater.
The hot gas is injected into the water through the combustion system to produce vapors in a direct contact evaporator. It is the most cost-effective technique and concentrates corrosive fluids and slurries.
What is Dryer?
A dryer is an electronic device used for drying by removing moisture. The first kind of dryer was for drying hair by removing moisture from the hair with heat. These were developed in the late nineteenth century by Alexandre-Ferdinand Godefroy.
Later, dryers have been flooding the market for drying clothes, hands after washing, and food cereals. Altorfer invented the very first cloth dryer in 1937.
Then, hand dryers were invented and installed in restrooms to replace towels and wipes for wiping hands.
Different types of clothes dryers (gas dryers, vented dryers, condenser dryers) are available in the market. It is based on the principle of dehumidifiers by condensing the moisture. Some of them use more electricity, or some consume less.
Moreover, different types of hairdryers are also available around us. The names are Ceramic, Titanium, Tourmaline, and Ionic dryers. One should buy the hairdryers as per their budget, hair texture, and requirement.
All dryers, whether they are for hair, clothing, or hands, use the same technology. It is that these dryers release hot hair in less humid conditions.
This way, dryers can remove water or other substances from the solid, semi-solid, or liquid material. The temperature of hot air is below the boiling point.
Main Differences Between Evaporator and Dryer
- An evaporator came into the market in 1845. On the other hand, a dryer came into the market in 1888.
- An evaporator is present in the air conditioners and refrigerators. On the other side, a dryer is mainly present in clothes washing machines.
- An evaporator works on the principle of evaporating liquid in form of a gaseous state. However, a dryer releases hot air in a circular motion in low humid conditions.
- An evaporator is of four types (falling film evaporators, nucleate boiling evaporators, flash evaporators, and direct contact evaporators). On the other hand, a dryer is of many types (clothes, hands, hair, and others).
- An evaporator is used in pharmaceuticals, food, and beverages. However, a dryer is primarily used in household appliances.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196890407004128
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781444322729#page=118
Last Updated : 16 July, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
