boelle:
I'm based in Europe and my dryer is a 1 phase unit so it takes no more than 2300Kw all included (also the rating of the fuse in breaker/fuse panel).
I presume you meant 2300W, not kW. Otherwise, you'd likely have to open a new sub-station in your neighborhood.
I'm surprised that the circuits in the EU are limited to 10A for clothes dryers. In the US, we have to run a different kind of wiring (three or four conductor, heavy duty) to dryer outlets, whose plugs can make standard UK plugs blush with envy. I would not rely on a GFCI to protect you. At least for testing purposes I would have a manual fuse and a disconnect switch. But that's me.
boelle:
I do have the background, been working 1 year as an electrician and do have about 12 courses in electronics. The Schematics are not included... but that not what worries me, i can draw it in a few hours with the dryer taken apart and a multimeter.
Thanks for re-assuring me that you know what you're doing. Having taken a bunch of these (and many other) appliances apart, I suggest you find a copy of the schematics if you can. Perhaps the OEM can send you a copy. It will make your life a lot easier. Let me give you an example: I recently attached a SSR to a toaster oven circuit and had a diode interfere with it. The diode was not obvious because the OEM had included no diagram with the toaster oven.
boelle:
For the high loads, in fact both the heating element and motor that rotates the drum its my plan to use solid state relays or triac's. I have in mind those kinds that have either screw terminals or spade connectors depinding on what is used in my unit.
My suggestion would be to use a Triac with 0.25" quick connects. The friction fit is almost impervious to the inevitable vibrations of the dryer as it operates.
boelle:
40A seems a bit overkill compared to that my system is 10A max.. but maybe go for a 20A would be the choice. since my dryer is a condensing type it has 2 airways.. one internal and one that just takes room air and blows it through the condenser, the output from here is barely any hotter than what it takes in and seems a good place for airflow over the heatsink. i agree to not mess with drum rotation, makes no sense to alter it.
Seems reasonable. For the record, I meant not to alter the drum speed. I agree that changing the drum direction is unlikely to have any benefit either. Hard to do, unless you have the right motor in there to start with.
boelle:
and the idea with multiple temp sensors is not bad either, at least i know there has to be a certain difference between room temp and the temp in the drum before the condenser operates, the higher difference the faster you are done but also you use more electricity. i know that my dryer has a resetable thermofuse if it gets to hot. i only need to figure how it detects a full filter.
The thermofuse blows if the temperature near the coils gets too hot. That temperature is a function of air flow. Once the air flow is impeded by a clogged filter, the fuse will hence trip. Down by the actual blower motor (which typically sucks the air through the heater, followed by the drum before exhausting it) you should find at least one more thermal switch or sensor for the less expensive models. Once the exhaust air reaches a certain level, the dryer knows that the clothes are almost dry, runs a bit more, and shuts off.
More expensive dryers will attempt to divine clothing wetness through a variety of additional means.