1. Drainage (1 min)/Primary Recovery

The drying process actually begins in the washing machine as soon as the clothes are clean. The first step is to drain the water from the basin. You can get most of the water out with very little effort. This equates to primary recovery as little to no external energy is required to recover a large amount of fluids.

2. Spin Cycle (5 mins)/Secondary Recovery

The second step is the spin cycle. This step requires a little bit more energy but still removes quite a bit of the water in a relatively small amount of time. This equates to secondary recovery in terms of the relative energy requirement and fluids recovered.

3. Dryer (1 hour)/Enhanced Oil Recovery

The amount of energy you use in the dryer is extensive compared to the entire process and it removes the least amount of water. It also takes the longest. The equivalence here to Enhanced Oil Recovery comes in the energy intensity and low recovery rates. A lot of energy goes into getting a small amount of fluids out.