Science’s New Wrinkle in Clothes-Drying : Technology: Edison says company has developed a microwave dryer that is 35% faster than electric models.

Soon, you may be able to zap those wet blue jeans.

In the quest for convenience and energy conservation, science may have developed the next generation of the old-fashioned electric clothes dryer. Its latest competitor: microwave oven technology.

On Wednesday, Southern California Edison announced that an Oregon research company it hired has developed prototypes for microwave clothes dryers that use 10% less energy and are about 35% faster than conventional electric dryers. The microwave dryers, which have passed tests for standard dryers proposed by the Department of Energy, are more environmentally friendly than conventional dryers, said George Crane, research program manager at SCE in Rosemead.

The utility said the technology could save its 3.6 million customers money because it uses up to 28% less energy than gas dryer units, based on tests by B.R. Laboratories, an independent testing firm in Huntington Beach.

The patented microwave dryer prototypes were built over the past two years by American Micro-Tech Inc., a Lake Oswego, Ore.-based company that has been trying to develop a commercially viable microwave dryer since 1981.

“It’s got potential for energy conservation, but until Edison gave us assistance we couldn’t get anyone interested in this idea,” President Rudy Pesci said in a phone interview. “It’s like any other invention. There’s no funding.”

The microwave dryers won’t be available for consumers unless a major appliance manufacturer decides to build it. Edison said it would leave the investment decision about mass-producing the dryers up to manufacturers. Pesci estimates the new dryers could be priced similarly to conventional dryers, which range in price from $200 to $600.

So far, Pesci said he has been frustrated that manufacturers haven’t expressed interest in licensing the technology. He said his small company with eight employees has spent about $600,000 in development, not including labor.

The seven experimental models look just like a conventional dryer, the design of which has been around since the 1930s. The microwave dryers have a rotating bin with holes in the dryer wall to allow microwaves to pass, Pesci said.

The prototypes are fitted with microwave heating generators, which emit a kind of heat wave that is used to warm food.

The microwaves agitate only the water molecules within the wet laundry. The agitated water molecules produce heat and evaporate. In addition, a low-power electric wire coil heats the air, which carries moisture out of the dryer.

Tests showed that drying time was reduced 35% on large loads. The microwave unit also dries at temperatures substantially lower than those for conventional dryers, thereby protecting fabrics, said Bodh Subherwal, president of B.R. Laboratories. The tests also showed that less lint builds up in microwave dryers because of the shorter cycles, lower temperature and elimination of combustion.

Because no static electricity is created, wrinkles are virtually eliminated and no cool-down cycle is necessary. And with the elimination of combustion, the environmental impact is reduced significantly.

Pesci said that one drawback has been the “arcing,” or sparks from microwave heating, caused when metal objects are placed in the dryer. But he said that he believes the problem can be solved with limited heat. The dryers could also melt rubber tennis shoes.

“It’s safe, but don’t throw your cat in there,” he said. “Use reason.”