Ayyoub Mehdizadeh Momen has a vision for the future: one where drying clothes takes no heat, little time, and conserves energy. His invention operates like a normal drying machine, except instead of heat, it uses high-speed ultrasonic vibrations.
Momen, an energy efficiency scientist, works at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a branch of the US Department of Energy. He has used his research into ultrasonic vibrations to develop a side project: his patented a new drying technique, one of seven patents to the engineer’s name.
Last year Momen licensed the technology from Oak Ridge and established a start-up called Ultrasonic Technology Solutions. The company quickly caught the eye of NASA, which has offered Momen a grant to develop unique drying methods for astronauts on the International Space Station.
Ultrasonic Technology Solutions for Drying Wet Material
“Clothes dryers consume a lot of energy,” Momen explains. “The technology hasn’t been updated for a while. The process overall is very inefficient, mainly because you have to evaporate the water.”
But one day Momen discovered a prototype for an ultrasonic humidifier work. “I saw how much cold mist it can generate with just a little bit of energy, and that rang a bell for me,” he reveals. “I said, well, can we apply the same physics to fabric drying?”
Rather than heat clothes to dry them, Momen’s invention uses high-frequency vibration remove the water, which becomes a cold mist that can be extracted or reclaimed. Momen claims that his technology can dry a typical cotton fabric five times more efficiently than a conventional dryer and twice as fast. It may also be easier on sensitive material.
Ayyoub Momen: Inventor and Scholar
Momen invents and runs his start-up alongside his work for the US Department of Energy. With a PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida, Momen also specializes in thermal fluid sciences. He has had a successful career so far, with more than 50 publications and 7 patents to his name.
The patent applications include impressive technologies for use in solar reactors. Momen also earned the Outstanding Achievement Award in Energy Engineering from the US Department of Energy, and a Certificate of Appreciation from the former Assistant Secretary of Energy.
His ultrasonic, heat-less technology has particular appeal for NASA. They seek to meet the energy and safety concerns affecting the daily routines of astronauts on the International Space Station. Back on earth, Momen points to figures that show that 15 percent of energy consumption in North America comes from drying clothes and other material.
The Future for Ayyoub Momen
Momen began developing the concept of ultrasonic drying the new technology early in his career. But it lingered in the early phases of development for several years. Momen’s work an efficiency engineer and development of his other patents consumed most of his, well, energy. But the recent creation of Ultrasonic Technology Solutions has helped accelerate technical development.
In just a few years, ultrasonic clothes dryers may be the new standard. Oak Ridge in conjunction with General Electric has bold plans to scale-up the technology in actual drying appliances, according to the US Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. There are even plans to create a press dryer and a consumer clothes dryer,
Meanwhile, NASA’s grant has given Momen a whole new area to explore as an innovator: bringing his tech to space. “This is going to be a game-changing technology,” predicts Momen. Domestic consumers and astronauts alike may soon see the benefits.
