DE2342628A1 - Operation of laundry-unit for oil-soiled machine-cloths - by re-using water in counter-flow and treatment in oil-separator - Google Patents

Abstract

The process for operating the laundry for cloths used in cleaning machines provides for the use of a drum washing machine with a washing-compartment in a stationary outer drum and a perforated washing-drum, revolving inside the latter. A stepwise counterflow process with several washing and rinsing steps is used. Clean water is used for the last rinsing step and this amount of water is used for the respective preceding rinsing or washing step of the subsequent washing cycle. After completion of the operation, it is passed to a reservoir and re-used for the next cycle, and, after completion of the first washing operation of a cycle, it is passed to an oil-separator, the oil being passed to an oil-burner, while the wash-liquid, freed from oil and further cleaned, is passed into the effluents. Centrifuging takes place between the washing and rinsing steps. The process has the advantages of economy in the use of water and avoidance of passing objectionable oils into the effluent system. The oil is used as fuel for running the plant.

Description

ElKENBERG 8c ERÜMMERSTEDT PATENT LAWYERS IN HANOVER

Kurt Reimann '426/1

Statute of limitations for the operation of a car wash
for machine cleaning cloths

The invention relates to a method of operation
a washing system for machine cleaning cloths, which are cleaned in several washing and rinsing cycles using a drum washing machine with a washing chamber in a fixed outer drum with a perforated washing drum rotating in it.

It is known to wash machine cleaning cloths in a drum washing machine in the same way as for household laundry is applied. Fresh water is fed into the washing machine before each wash and rinse cycle and at the end of one

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the detergent solution or dirty water in each wash and rinse cycle released to the sewerage system.

This method has two major disadvantages. On the one hand, the water consumption is very high, because every washing or Rinse cycle fresh water is introduced into the washing machine, on the other hand falls when washing machine cleaning cloths such an amount of dirt and especially of oily and greasy residues that it is not responsible, to discharge the washing liquor untreated into the sewer system, as was customary up to now, from where it is in most cases enters public waters. .

In order to be able to get an idea of the amount of oily residues, reference is made to the fact that machine cleaning cloths when they are delivered to the crematory, they have a weight of up to 2.5 times their dry weight as a result of oil and Pett absorption exhibit.

The high water consumption during washing has already been tried, with some success, by using a countercurrent process for washing, in which the water continuously flows through several washing drums arranged one behind the other and connected to one another in countercurrent, the flow being caused by a gradient in the water level between the last rinsing drum and the first washing drum is effected. A too fast passage of the water is prevented by plugs and / or valves between the drums.

In such a washing process, the water consumption is compared to the previously described process reduced, but still relatively high because of

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Due to the continuous operation, it is not possible to spin the laundry and thus a larger number of rinse cycles is required. Furthermore, the reloading of the laundry, which is also labor-intensive, becomes the place of installation the system is heavily burdened by the escaping water vapor and smells, which makes work difficult and the need for heat for the wash water is increased.

It is the object of the present invention to make a method of the type mentioned available which works with a washing drum that is closed from the outside during the entire washing cycle and is extremely economical Way avoids pollution of public waters with oily and greasy residues and at the same time with one works with extremely low water and energy consumption.

The invention solves this problem in that a step-by-step countercurrent washing process is carried out in the manner that fresh water is used for the last rinse and this amount of water gradually for each in the wash program previous rinsing or Wash cycle of the next wash cycle is used by completely supplying it to a storage container after the respective rinse or wash cycle has ended and from there at the beginning of the rinse or wash cycle preceding the wash program in the next wash cycle into the Washing drum is returned until there is finally an oil separator at the end of the first wash cycle of a washing cycle is fed, in which the washed-out oil components are separated from the washing liquor and the storage tank of an oil fire

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supply system for supplying energy to the washing system while the wash liquor freed from the oil components after further purification passed into the sewer system will; there is one between the wash and rinse cycles Spin cycle inserted.

The fact that the washing water comes from a washing or rinsing cycle for the preceding washing or rinsing cycle will continue to be used by adding a Reservoir is supplied, you get by for an entire washing cycle with the amount of water that was mentioned in the above known method for each individual wash or rinse of an entire wash cycle is required and is thus even far below the amount of water that is required when using the known countercurrent process. This lje gt not least because the countercurrent process is carried out gradually in the context of this invention, the After the end of a work cycle, the water discharged is stored in a storage tank until it is used again will. Because of this discontinuous mode of operation, the machine cleaning cloths can be used at the end of each rinse or Wash cycle are spun, so that much less rinse cycles than in the known continuous countercurrent process required are. It has been shown that compared to the continuous countercurrent process with less than half the amount of water.

An environmental pollution by discharging heavily contaminated with oil, grease, possibly also gasoline into public water

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The invention counteracts bodies of water by feeding the washing liquor to a conventional oil separator before it is introduced into the sewer system, in which the oil components are most easily separated from the remaining washing liquor by floating. This process is by no means expensive, but it has been found that the separated oil constituents are consistently of such a composition that they can be burned in oil-firing systems without major difficulties. The determined flash point of the oil components corresponds roughly to that of extra light heating oil or is slightly lower. The separated oil components can therefore be used to cover the energy needs of the laundry. Because of the high content of these oily components in the machine cleaning cloths, which, as mentioned, often exceeds the weight of the machine cleaning cloths, so much fuel is produced when washing machine cleaning cloths that in many cases the entire energy requirement of the laundry can be covered. Surprisingly, the measure for the treatment of the dirty water that occurs when washing machine cleaning cloths turns out to be a thoroughly economical measure .

In contrast to the conventional countercurrent process With the method according to the invention, no reloading of the laundry is required, and neither steam nor odors get into the tree, in which the washing machine is installed, because the laundry during all wash and rinse cycles within a wash cycle in the remains in the same washing drum and the water to be used in the countercurrent process until it is reused in Storage containers is stored, which are carried out without difficulty and without effort in a closed design

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can. At the same time "this also means less heat loss than with the known counter-cutting process. Because of the discontinuation the reloading of the laundry is "in the method according to the invention the manpower, expressed in kilograms of laundry per operator, is also significantly higher than with the known Countercurrent process.

The washing drum of the washing machine used preferably always runs in the same direction of rotation in all operations around. This eliminates the need to switch the drive motor, which was previously the case with drum washing machines, which is because of the omission the constantly recurring starting of the electric drive motor not only a significant saving in electrical Energy means, but also leads to a significant reduction in washing time because there are no switching pauses. That too when washing machine cleaning cloths, the usual change of However, in contrast to washing larger items of laundry, the direction of rotation is not required when washing machine cloths, since these are small enough to intertwine and clump together the individual items of laundry impede.

The oil components separated in the oil separator are Before they can be reused as fuel, they are preferably fed to a settling tank, where they are stored for a few days. While During this storage period, pesticides still contained in the oil can settle. The oil can then be pumped out and transferred to storage tanks. The one that forms at the bottom of the settling tank Sludge gets into the oil separator from time to time

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connected sewage treatment plant.

To be absolutely sure that the last impurities in the oil components do not reach the furnace nozzle of the oil furnace clog, the oil components are expedient passed through a paper filter before burning, which holds back the impurities and at regular intervals Is replaced at intervals.

In the context of the method according to the invention preferably a washing machine with a drain pump is used, in which for each wash or rinse cycle above the washing drum a separate storage container is provided, which is connected to the inlet side via a drain line with a controllable shut-off valve the outer drum, the latter being the last Reservoir assigned to the wash cycle via a feed line with a level sensor installed in the reservoir controlled shut-off valve is connected to the fresh water network, while the remaining storage tanks each have one Feed line with controllable shut-off valve are connected to the pressure side of the drain pump, the drain line being the outer drum behind the drain pump branches into two line arms, each with a controllable shut-off valve, of which the one line arm leads to the feed lines of the storage tank and the other line arm leads to the oil separator. One in the The amount of water admitted to the last rinse cycle is after the control of the in its drainage line arranged controllable shut-off valves emptied into the washing drum. After finishing the rinse cycle, this will be Amount of water through the drain pipe of the outer drum over the

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The drain pump and the feed line of the penultimate wash cycle assigned storage tanks are pumped into this. In the next wash cycle, this amount of water is then used for the penultimate one Rinse cycle used, including only that in its drain line Attached valve must be opened, whereupon the water flows under the action of gravity into the washing drum. The procedure then continues until the water has been used in the first washing cycle. When it ends, the now Wash liquor fully laden with dirt and oil is drained off via the arm of the drain line that leads to the oil separator. the Storage tanks advantageously have cleaning hatches through which they are freed from time to time from the dirt that has deposited can.

It is expedient for the controllable shut-off valves a control switch synchronized with the washing program provided, which closes the controllable shut-off valves in this way at the beginning and at the end of each wash and rinse cycle and opens, as the method according to the invention requires.

Since the washing drum is no longer directly through the

Prischwassemetζ is filled, but a predetermined amount of water runs from the storage containers into the washing drum, the washing machine no longer requires a Kö'hen level sensor as before for the water level by which the water supply is stopped when the intended water level is reached. Instead, only in the storage tank that is assigned to the last wash cycle and that is fed with fresh water, a level sensor can be provided. This is of particular advantage because the level sensors installed in the washing machine mostly swimmers, due to the high degree of contamination of the washing water in the past they often did their job

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Have failed. In the now proposed washing machine, however, the level sensor sits only in fresh water and is therefore safe from contamination.

A simplification of the washing machine used in the context of the method according to the invention also results in that no switch is provided for the direction of rotation of the washing drum drive.

Because the washing drum of the washing machine only rotates in one direction according to the invention, it is advantageous to the drain line for the washing liquor in the direction of movement of the washing drum tangential from the bottom of the outer drum, in moving the washing drum. As a result, when the used washing liquor is pumped out, improved flushing out solid and muddy dirt residues from the washing machine.

The invention is explained below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing.

The drawing shows a schematic representation of the structure of a working according to the method according to the invention Car wash. The system works using a drum washing machine, in the housing, not shown, a outer drum 1 is suspended, in which an inner, perforated drum 2 moves. The inner drum has axially parallel Driving ribs 3, which are located in the drum Take machine cleaning cloths with you and use up to a predetermined one

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Raise height out of the water. Above the outer drum 1, five storage tanks 4a to 4e are arranged, from which the for One wash or rinse cycle of the entire Wasoh program required amount of water flows into the washing drum.

The system shown is designed for two washes and three rinses. These five operations are the five storage tanks assigned as follows:

The tank 4a for the first wash cycle, the tank 4b for the second wash cycle, the tank 4c for the first rinse cycle, the tank 4d the second rinse cycle and the tank 4e finally the third and final rinse cycle.

The discharge lines 5 of the storage tanks 4a to 4e each contain one of a control switch, for example of the "Ramstetter" type Automatic shut-off "controlled shut-off valve 6a - 6e and discharge into the outer drum 1.Throw the control switch through the Shut-off valves controlled in such a way that the valve 6a opens at the beginning of the first wash cycle and at the start of the second wash cycle the valve 6b, at the beginning of the first wash cycle the valve 6c, at the start of the second wash cycle the valve 6d and valve 6e at the beginning of the last rinse cycle.

The feed to the five storage tanks is controlled according to the invention so that the machine cleaning cloths in one countercurrent process carried out step-by-step. It is in the storage tank 4e via line 7 only Fresh water introduced. The one in line 7

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controllable shut-off valve 8 is opened by the control switch after the tank 4e has been emptied, and is closed again when a level preset by a float switch 9 is reached. This amount of water now runs through the individual wash cycles in different washing cycles. First, the fresh water is out the tank 4e is used to carry out the last rinse for a load of laundry currently in the inner drum 2. After completion of this rinse cycle, the rinse water is by means of the drain pump 13 through the drain line 12 of the outer drum 1 and pumped out over the arm 14 of the drainage line by a controllable open at this time Shut-off valve 15 is located, and via the feed line 1Od, in which a shut-off valve 11d, which is open at this point in time, is located, transferred to the tank 4d. The shut-off valves 11a to 11c and 17 are closed at this time. The amount of water will Stored in the storage tank 4d until the second rinse cycle is due in the next wash cycle. Then the valve 6d opened and the storage tank 4d emptied into the outer drum 1. After completing the second rinse, the water in the already described way now transferred to the tank 4c, where it is stored until the next following wash cycle first rinse is pending. It then opens the valve 6c, the storage tank 4c empties into the outer drum 1 and after completion of the wash cycle, the wash water is fed to the storage tank 41) and stored there until the next wash cycle the second wash cycle is due. The valve 6t> opens, the storage tank 4b empties into the drum 1, and after completion of the second wash cycle, the detergent solution is added to the

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Tank 4a transferred, where it is stored, until the next one The first wash cycle is imminent. Then the valve 6a is opened, the storage tank 4a is emptied and after completion of the first wash cycle, the detergent solution by means of the drain pump 13 via the drain line 12, the line arm 16 and the now open controllable shut-off valve 17 are supplied to the water treatment system. At this time the shut-off valve 15 is closed.

The originally fed into the tank 4e The amount of fresh water therefore gradually flows through in countercurrent all rinsing and washing cycles and is increasingly contaminated until it is finally used in the first wash cycle is so dirty that the reprocessing system must be supplied.

The dirty water first reaches an oil separator in which most of the oil components float up and skimming off from the sewage wastewater largely freed from the oil components Further cleaning, the acid cleavage of the remaining ne η Includes oil components, via line 19 into the sewer system 20 is diverted, the floating oil passes over the oil drainage channel 21 and the line 22 into a settling tank 23, in which the oil is left to rest for a few days so that the pests contained in it settle on the bottom of the settling tank can. The oil purified in this way is then fed via line 24 to a storage tank 26.

The "incurred when washing machine cleaning cloths oil is very flammable and can be used in an oil furnace

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to be burned. It is expediently in the line 24 between the thanks 26 and the settling tank 25 is a paper filter press 25 with replaceable paper filter 28, which "in the oil possibly remaining contaminants in the nozzle of the oil burner 29 could clog, holds.

Since the machine cleaning cloths delivered to the washing system often weigh up to 2.5 times their dry weight have, the amount of oil produced is so large that it is about the entire energy requirement of the laundry can cover.

To carry out the method according to the invention In contrast to the washing machines used earlier, the used washing machine no longer has its own float switch, since the water metering is already carried out in the storage tank 4e. This has a very beneficial effect, because earlier failed the float switches installed in the washing drum are frequent due to the high degree of soiling of the washing water their service ·. Now, however, it is only on the prisch water storage tank 4e requires a float switch with which there is no risk of contamination.

Another essential feature of the washing machine used is that the inner washing drum 2 in has only one direction of rotation for all wash and rinse cycles. This new measure can be used in a machine for washing Carry out machine cleaning cloths without further ado, as machine cleaning cloths are not so big that there is a risk of them

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intertwine and clump together. The frequent and energy-consuming start-up of the electric motor, which moves the inner drum 2, is therefore eliminated. At the same time , the washing process is greatly shortened and intensified.

Because of the constant direction of rotation of the inner drum 2, the discharge line 12 of the outer drum 1 is arranged tangentially at the bottom of the drum and leaves it in the direction of rotation of the inner drum 2. As a result, solid contaminants are flushed out of the drum 1 more effectively than before.

- patent claims -

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Claims (9)

Claims 1. A method for operating a washing system for machine cleaning cloths which are cleaned in several washing and rinsing cycles using a drum washing machine with a washing chamber in a stationary outer drum with a perforated washing drum rotating therein, characterized in that a step-by-step countercurrent washing process is carried out in this way is that fresh water is used for the last rinse and this amount of water is used gradually for the rinsing or wash cycle of the next wash cycle that precedes the wash program by completely feeding it to a storage container (4a to 4e) after the respective rinse or wash cycle has been completed and from there at the beginning of the rinsing or washing cycle preceding the washing program in the next washing cycle it is returned to the washing drum (2) until it is finally fed to an oil separator (18) after the first washing cycle of a washing cycle, in which the washed out NEN oil components are separated from the washing liquor and fed to the storage tank (26) of an oil firing system (29) to supply energy to the washing system, while the washing liquor freed from the oil components is passed into the sewage system (20) after further cleaning; a spin cycle is inserted between the wash and rinse cycles. 509812/0051 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the washing drum (2) always rotates in the same direction of rotation in all operations. 3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the oil components separated in the oil separator (18) are fed to a settling tank (23) and stored for a few days before they are further used as fuel. 4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the oil components are passed through a paper filter (28) before they are burned. 5. Washing machine with drain pump for carrying out the method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a separate storage container (4a to 4e) is provided for each wash or rinse cycle above the washing drum (2), which is each via a drain line (5 ) with a controllable shut-off valve (6a to 6e) is connected to the inlet side of the stationary drum (1), the storage tank (4e) assigned to the last wash cycle via a feed line (7) with a level sensor (9) attached to the storage tank (4e) ) controlled shut-off valve (8) is connected to the I ^ ischwassernetz, while the other storage tanks (4a to 4d) are each connected via a feed line (10a to 1Od) with controllable shut-off valve (11a to 11d) with the pressure side of the drain pump (13) , the drain line (12) of the stationary drum (1) behind the drain pump (13) in two line arms (14, 16) each with a controllable shut-off valve (16, 17) eigt of those 509812/0051 one line arm (14) to the feed lines (10a to 1Od) of the storage container (4a to 4d) and the other line arm (16) leads to the oil separator (18). 6. Washing machine according to claim 5> characterized in that a control switch synchronized to the washing program for the controllable shut-off valves (6a to 6e, 8, 11a to 11d, 15, 17) is provided. 7. Washing machine according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the level sensor '(9) in the storage container (4e) assigned to the last wash cycle replaces a level sensor provided in the outer drum (1) of the washing machine. S. Washing machine according to one of Claims 5 to 7, characterized in that no changeover switch is provided for the direction of rotation of the washing drum drive. 9. Washing machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the drain line (12) for the washing liquor continues in the direction of movement of the washing drum (2) tangentially from the bottom of the outer drum (1 in which the washing drum (2) moves. 509812/0051 • ff Blank page