NEC demand factors for dryers

The NEC recognizes substantial load diversity among cycling cooking appliances, such as ranges and ovens, but for two clothes dryers, recognizes none.

Since the appliances are all resistance heating loads, does anyone know why dryers would be treated differently? The only explanation I can think of is that they have much higher duty cycles than ovens or cook tops. Is that the case?

Thanks.

Chuck

Reply to
Chuck
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| The NEC recognizes substantial load diversity among cycling cooking | appliances, such as ranges and ovens, but for two clothes dryers, | recognizes none. | | Since the appliances are all resistance heating loads, does anyone | know why dryers would be treated differently? The only explanation I | can think of is that they have much higher duty cycles than ovens or | cook tops. Is that the case?

Two is not not much diversity. Ranges already have a degree of diversity because of multiple burners. So a range with 4 cooktops and 1 oven (now with 8 cooktops and 2 ovens if you have 2 ranges) has a higher count of the number of potential loads to turn on and off. The clothes dryer, however, is a single load. If you have 2 of them you may be expected to use both at the same time sometimes. That's not much diversity. It would be less likely to have all 10 burners on than to have both dryers on.

Reply to
phil-news-nospam

Reply to
Gerald Newton

They have multiple elements in the ones I have looked at. They also have a thermostat on the exhaust air that will cycle the element in the later stages of drying. That is the "moisture sensor". (analysing the duty cycle)

Reply to
gfretwell

Some "moisture sensors" are located within the drum. My Whirlpool has two linear electrodes on the inside drum near the lint filter. The action of wet clothing rubbing across the electrodes is sensed as a current flow and the dryer timer motor is cut off and prevented from advancing as long as the clothes remain damp. There are also thermostats on most dryers that cut the heating element in and out while the blower/tumbler motor continues to run.

Thus, the duty-cycle of the heating element depends on multiple variables including load size and probably load-type (thick blankets vs. light fabric shirts).

Beachcomber

Reply to
Beachcomber

Reply to
krw

The responses are appreciated but don't address the duty cycle differences.

An important difference between an oven and a clothes dryer is that the oven attempts to maintain a fairly constant temperature in a small enclosed chamber. Once the set temperature is reached, additional energy is needed mostly to overcome losses through radiation and conduction. With bang-bang temperature control, the oven shows a "low" ducty cycle once it is up to the set temperature.

A dryer, on the other hand, may have approximately the same peak energy consumption as the oven (5-6 kW), but operates at a much higher duty cycle. Its operation is to actually utilize the heat energy to do work by evaporating water while venting the already heated, water-laden air. A pretty lossy enterprise, energy-wise.

For example, an electric clothes dryer drying 25 one-hour loads per month uses 106 kWh, or an average of 4.24 kWh. This works out to an

85% duty cycle (based on a 5 kW unit) hardly any opportunity for demand factor adjustment.

So the NEC's frugality in allowing demand factor benefits for multiple dryers is well justified.

I should have researched this more thoroughly before posting the question.

Chuck

Reply to
Chuck

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