EP0392758B1 - Solvent recovering system for a cleaning machine - Google Patents

Solvent recovering system for a cleaning machine Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0392758B1
EP0392758B1 EP19900303739 EP90303739A EP0392758B1 EP 0392758 B1 EP0392758 B1 EP 0392758B1 EP 19900303739 EP19900303739 EP 19900303739 EP 90303739 A EP90303739 A EP 90303739A EP 0392758 B1 EP0392758 B1 EP 0392758B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
solvent
cleaning
treatment chamber
chamber
recovering
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19900303739
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0392758A1 (en
Inventor
Masahide C/O Japan Field Company Ltd. Uchino
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Japan Field Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Japan Field Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Japan Field Co Ltd filed Critical Japan Field Co Ltd
Publication of EP0392758A1 publication Critical patent/EP0392758A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0392758B1 publication Critical patent/EP0392758B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
    • C23G—CLEANING OR DE-GREASING OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY CHEMICAL METHODS OTHER THAN ELECTROLYSIS
    • C23G5/00—Cleaning or de-greasing metallic material by other methods; Apparatus for cleaning or de-greasing metallic material with organic solvents
    • C23G5/02—Cleaning or de-greasing metallic material by other methods; Apparatus for cleaning or de-greasing metallic material with organic solvents using organic solvents
    • C23G5/04—Apparatus

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a solvent recovering system for a cleaning machine for cleaning articles, such as machine parts, electronic parts or medical instruments, to remove the solvent from solvent-cleaned articles and to recover the same without releasing the solvent into the atmosphere.
  • Known solvent recovering systems for recovering such solvents employ an adsorbent or a condenser. These known solvent recovering systems are unable to remove such injurious solvents perfectly from gases containing the injurious solvents because the gases containing the injurious solvents are passed only once through the solvent recovering systems.
  • WO-A-81/02625 discloses a cleaning machine having a solvent recovery system with the features recited in the precharacterising portion of claims 1 and 2.
  • the present invention is characterised by means for continuously and repeatedly circulating said gas between the solvent recovering unit and the treatment chamber via the circulation passage.
  • EP-A-34290 discloses a cleaning device having a solvent recovery system with the features recited in the precharacterising portion of claim 3.
  • the present invention is characterised by a solvent recovering unit for separating solvent from a gas containing vapour of the solvent, circulation passages connecting the solvent recovering unit to the cleaning tank, and means for continuously and repeatedly circulating said gas between the solvent recovering unit and the treatment chamber via the circulation passages, the cleaning tank being capable of serving both as a cleaning tank and as a treatment tank.
  • the solvent removing unit can be relatively small, simple and inexpensive, even if the solvent vapour is difficult to remove, as it does not need to remove substantially all of the solvent vapour in one pass.
  • the present invention has been made to solve the foregoing problems, and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a solvent recovering system capable of removing solvent from articles, such as machine parts, electronic parts or medical instruments, cleaned by liquid-phase cleaning or vapor-phase cleaning and wetted by the solvent, and capable of recovering the solvent so that the injurious solvent may not be released into the atmosphere.
  • a cleaning table 1 for supporting articles 2 to be cleaned is vertically movable.
  • the cleaning table 1 is shifted vertically between a cleaning chamber 4 for cleaning the articles 2 mounted on the cleaning table 1 and a treatment chamber 5 disposed above the cleaning chamber 4 by an appropriate shifting mechanism 3 provided with a driving device, such as a pneumatic cylinder actuator, a hydraulic cylinder actuator or a chain-drive mechanism.
  • the cleaning chamber 4 and the treatment chamber 5 can be isolated from each other by a pair of flat doors 6 fixed respectively to support shafts 8 rotatably supported respectively at the opposite ends of the lower surface of the cleaning table 1.
  • Operating arms 10 are fixed to the shafts 8 so as to extend outward from the opposite sides of the lower surface of the cleaning table 1, respectively.
  • Pressing members 17 are attached to the bottom wall of the treatment chamber 5 at positions corresponding to the operating arms 10.
  • An opening 11 is formed in the bottom wall of the treatment chamber 5 to receive the cleaning table 1 therethrough into the treatment chamber 5.
  • the operating arms 10 are brought into engagement with the pressing members 17 and, as the cleaning table 1 is raised further, the operating arms 10 are pressed by the pressing members 17 to swing the doors 6 in a closing direction, and the opening 11 is closed by the doors 6 upon the arrival of the cleaning table 1 at a predetermined position within the treatment chamber 5.
  • the doors 6 may be substituted by any suitable closing means capable of closing the opening 11, such as a shutter.
  • the opening 11 formed in the bottom wall of the treatment chamber 5 is covered with a simple lid 12 provided in the treatment chamber 5 to keep the opening 11 closed while the cleaning table 1 supporting the articles 2 is placed within the cleaning chamber 4.
  • the lid 12 is lifted up as shown in Fig. 2 by rods 13 projecting upward from the upper surface of the cleaning table 1 to open the opening 11.
  • a solvent recovering unit 15 for recovering a solvent 14 wetting the article 2 from the articles 2 is connected by circulation passages 16 to the treatment chamber 5 to circulate a gas containing the vapor of the solvent 14 through the treatment chamber 5 and the solvent recovering unit 15.
  • the solvent recovering unit 15 may be provided with an adsorbent, such as activated carbon, capable of adsorbing the solvent 14 or a cooling device capable of condensing the vapor of the solvent 14.
  • the shifting mechanism 3 In subjecting the articles 2, such as machine parts, electronic parts or medical instruments, to liquid-phase cleaning or vapor-phase cleaning, the shifting mechanism 3 is actuated to place the cleaning table 1 supporting the articles 2 within the cleaning chamber 4 for the liquid-phase cleaning and/or vapor-phase cleaning of the articles 2. After the articles 2 have thus been cleaned, the shifting mechanism 3 raises the cleaning table 1 supporting the articles 2 to place the cleaning table 1 supporting the articles 2 within the treatment chamber 5 disposed above the cleaning chamber 4. Then, the opening 11 is closed automatically by the doors 6 in the previously stated manner to isolate the cleaning chamber 4 and the treatment chamber 5 from each other.
  • the doors 6 may be operated manually to close the opening 11, the opening 11 may be closed by any other suitable closing means, such as a shutter, and the closing means may be operated manually or may be operated automatically to close the opening 11 upon the detection of placement of the cleaning table 1 supporting the articles 2 in place within the treatment chamber 5 by an appropriate sensor.
  • the gas containing the vapor of the solvent is circulated repeatedly and continuously through the treatment chamber 5, the circulation passages 16 and the solvent recovering unit 15 until the vapor of the solvent is removed completely from the gas by the solvent recovering unit 15, so that the solvent 14 wetting the articles 2 can surely be removed from the articles 2.
  • the articles 2 are taken out from the treatment chamber 5, so that the injurious gas containing the solvent is not released into the atmosphere and the operator is able to carry out the cleaning operation safely without inhaling the injurious gas.
  • the solvent 14 Since the articles 2 wetted by the solvent 14 is transferred from the cleaning chamber 4 to the treatment chamber 5 for solvent removal without being exposed to the external atmosphere and the articles 2 need not be transported to the solvent recovering unit 15 by a transporting device, the solvent 14 is prevented from dispersing into the atmosphere.
  • a cleaning tank 4 is provided with a cleaning mechanism.
  • the cleaning tank 4 is connected through a drain valve 18 (solvent draining means) to a solvent reservoir tank 20 for containing a solvent 14.
  • the solvent 14 is supplied from the solvent reservoir 20 to the cleaning tank 4 by a pump 21 (solvent supply means).
  • the cleaning tank 4 serves also as an evaporation chamber.
  • the drain valve 18 is opened to drain the solvent 14 completely from the cleaning tank 14 into the solvent reservoir tank 20, and then a solvent recovering unit 15 is actuated.
  • a gas containing the vapor of the solvent 14 is circulated repeatedly through the cleaning tank 4 serving also as an evaporation chamber, circulation passages 16 and the solvent recovering unit 15 to remove the solvent evaporated from the articles 2 completely from the gas.
  • the articles 2 are taken out from the cleaning tank 4.
  • the solvent 14 contained in the cleaning tank 4 is removed completely by the same procedure to prevent the solvent 14 from dispersing into the atmosphere.
  • a solvent recovering system in a third embodiment according to the present invention is incorporated into an existing cleaning machine 7 as shown in Fig. 4.Referring to Fig. 4.
  • the cleaning machine 7 is provided with an inlet opening 22 and an outlet opening 23 respectively in its opposite side walls.
  • Articles 2 to be cleaned are put into the cleaning machine 7 through one of the openings, for example, the inlet opening 22, and are taken out through the other opening, for example, the outlet opening 23. While the articles 2 are transported through the cleaning machine 7 from the inlet opening 22 to the outlet opening 23, the articles 2 are cleaned perfectly.
  • the articles 2 fed by a conveyor 24 through the inlet opening 22 to the cleaning machine 7 are lifted through a lifting chamber 26 by a lifter operated by a vertical cylinder actuator 25 disposed outside the cleaning machine 7 to an upper transporting chamber 27 of the cleaning machine 7. Then, the articles 2 are placed on a carriage 30 operated by a horizontal cylinder actuator 28 for horizontally transporting the articles 2.
  • the carriage 30 transports the articles 2 into a liquid-phase cleaning chamber 31 formed contiguously with the lifting chamber 26. Then, the articles 2 are immersed in a solvent 14 contained in the cleaning chamber 31 by a vertical cylinder actuator 32 for liquid-phase cleaning.
  • a cleaning vapor is supplied from a vapor producing chamber 33 formed contiguously with the liquid-phase cleaning chamber 31 through a passage 34 into the liquid-phase cleaning chamber 31 for vapor-phase cleaning in a space over the solvent 14 contained in the liquid-phase cleaning chamber 31.
  • the articles 2 are transported horizontally by the carriage 30 to a position above a lowering chamber 35, the articles 2 are lowered through the lowering chamber 35 by a vertical cylinder actuator 36, and then the articles 2 are taken outside the cleaning machine 7 through the outlet opening 23.
  • Solvent recovering systems 37 are joined respectively to the opposite side walls of the cleaning machine 7 by suitable means, such as bolts or welding, so as to communicate with the interior of the cleaning machine 7 respectively by means of the openings 22 and 23.
  • the solvent recovering system 37 must be provided on the side of the outlet opening 23. It is desirable to provide the solvent recovering system 37 also on the side of the inlet opening 22.
  • Treatment chambers 5 are connected respectively to the inlet opening 22 and the outlet opening 23.
  • Solvent recovering units 15 are connected to the treatment chambers 5 by circulation passages 16 to recover the solvent evaporated from the articles 2 and the solvent discharged from the cleaning machine 7 through the openings 22 and 23 into the treatment chambers 5.
  • a solvent recovering system in a fourth embodiment according to the present invention is constructed integrally with a cleaning machine 7.
  • a circulation passage 16 is formed over the cleaning machine 7 and a solvent recovering unit 15 comprising a plurality of solvent recovering elements is disposed within the circulation passage 16.
  • the cleaning machine 7 has a cleaning chamber 4 and a treatment chamber 5 formed on top of the cleaning chamber 4.
  • An opening 11 is formed in the bottom wall of the treatment chamber 5 and is covered with a lid 12 to close the opening 11 while articles 2 are being cleaned in the cleaning chamber 4.
  • the articles 2 are mounted on a cleaning table 1.
  • the size of the cleaning table 1 is greater than that of the opening 11.
  • the circulation passage 16 is formed around the treatment chamber 5, and the solvent recovering unit 15 is disposed within the circulation passage 16.
  • Each solvent recovering element is provided with a replaceable cartridge containing an adsorbent 41 capable of adsorbing the solvent, such as activated carbon.
  • a fan 43 for forcing the vapor of the solvent to flow into the circulation passage 16 is disposed near an outlet opening 42 formed in one side wall of the treatment chamber 5, and an inlet opening 44 is formed in the opposite side wall of the treatment chamber 5 for the forced circulation of the gas containing the vapor of the solvent through the circulation passage 16.
  • the fan 43 is actuated to circulate the air containing the vapor of the solvent forcibly through the circulation passage 16 and thereby the solvent contained in the circulated air is adsorbed by the adsorbent 41.
  • the air is circulated repeatedly and continuously through the circulation passage 16 and the treatment chamber 5 to recover completely the solvent evaporated from the articles 2 by the solvent recovering unit 15. After the solvent has completely been recovered, the articles 2 are taken out from the treatment chamber 5.
  • the replaceable cartridges of the solvent recovering unit 15 facilitate changing the adsorbent 41, so that the solvent recovering unit 15 is able to function constantly at a high adsorption efficiency.
  • the treatment chamber for containing articles, such as machine parts, electronic parts or medical instruments, cleaned by liquid-phase cleaning or vapor-phase cleaning and wetted by the solvent, and the solvent recovering unit are connected by the circulation passages to circulate the vapor of the solvent evaporated from the articles wetted by the solvent repeatedly and continuously through the solvent recovering unit. Accordingly, even a solvent difficult to recover by a single cycle of circulation through the solvent recovering unit can surely be recovered.
  • the dispersion of the solvent can be prevented by taking out the articles from the treatment chamber after the solvent evaporated from the articles has completely been removed and recovered from the gas circulated through the solvent recovering unit.
  • the solvent recovering system If it is desired to recover the solvent evaporated from the articles by a single cycle of circulation through a solvent recovering unit, the solvent recovering system must have a large solvent recovering ability, the solvent recovering system must be constructed in a large size, and hence the solvent recovering system will be expensive.
  • the solvent recovering system of the present invention since the gas containing the vapor of the solvent is circulated repeatedly and continuously through the solvent recovering unit, the circulation passages and the treatment chamber, the solvent can completely be removed from the circulated gas even if the solvent recovering ability of the solvent recovering unit is comparatively small. Accordingly, the solvent recovering system of the present invention is relatively small in size, is inexpensive and is highly capable of removing the solvent from the gas containing the vapor of the solvent.
  • the solvent recovering system since the gas containing the vapor of the solvent is circulated through the circulation passages between the treatment chamber and the solvent recovering chamber and no gas is discharged outside the solvent recovering system, the solvent recovering system does not need any discharge duct, is inexpensive and requires relatively small floor space. Still further, since the gas is not discharged outside the solvent recovering system and no air is introduced into the solvent recovering system, there is no possibility that moisture contained in the atmosphere is mixed in the recovered solvent, and hence the recovered solvent has a high purity.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Cleaning By Liquid Or Steam (AREA)
  • Cleaning And De-Greasing Of Metallic Materials By Chemical Methods (AREA)
EP19900303739 1989-04-11 1990-04-06 Solvent recovering system for a cleaning machine Expired - Lifetime EP0392758B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP91140/89 1989-04-11
JP9114089 1989-04-11

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0392758A1 EP0392758A1 (en) 1990-10-17
EP0392758B1 true EP0392758B1 (en) 1995-06-28

Family

ID=14018221

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19900303739 Expired - Lifetime EP0392758B1 (en) 1989-04-11 1990-04-06 Solvent recovering system for a cleaning machine

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0392758B1 (ja)
JP (1) JPH0372984A (ja)
CN (1) CN1035804C (ja)
DE (1) DE69020412T2 (ja)
HK (1) HK17196A (ja)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2670405B1 (fr) * 1990-12-18 1995-06-30 Annemasse Ultrasons Installation de nettoyage par solvant a consommation reduite et a recyclage, et procede de nettoyage correspondant.
NZ240876A (en) * 1991-09-23 1993-09-27 Wooltech Ltd Wool scouring bowl with conveyor which rises above solvent at exit end
IT1260831B (it) * 1992-07-17 1996-04-22 Procedimento di sgrassatura di pezzi meccanici ed impianto per effettuare il procedimento
JPH0634782U (ja) * 1992-10-14 1994-05-10 木村化工機株式会社 洗浄装置
CN105607487A (zh) * 2016-03-11 2016-05-25 湖北新阳特种纤维股份有限公司 溶剂回收成本排放控制装置及方法
JP6351195B1 (ja) * 2017-10-30 2018-07-04 ジャパン・フィールド株式会社 被洗浄物の洗浄装置

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE8004031U1 (de) * 1980-02-15 1980-05-22 Veld, Gerhardus Lambertus In Het, Losser (Niederlande) Behaelter fuer loesungsmittel
US4264299A (en) * 1980-03-12 1981-04-28 Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated Process and apparatus for controlling losses in volatile working fluid systems
EP0235744A1 (en) * 1986-02-28 1987-09-09 Japan Field Company, Ltd. Apparatus for vapour cleaning
NL8700037A (nl) * 1987-01-09 1988-08-01 Nl Middenstandsbank N V Zrb Ju Nieuw dampontvettingsproces.

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPH0372984A (ja) 1991-03-28
HK17196A (en) 1996-02-09
EP0392758A1 (en) 1990-10-17
DE69020412T2 (de) 1996-01-04
CN1035804C (zh) 1997-09-10
CN1055491A (zh) 1991-10-23
DE69020412D1 (de) 1995-08-03
JPH0549357B2 (ja) 1993-07-26

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