EP1462185A1 - Detergent injection system - Google Patents
Detergent injection system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1462185A1 EP1462185A1 EP03006600A EP03006600A EP1462185A1 EP 1462185 A1 EP1462185 A1 EP 1462185A1 EP 03006600 A EP03006600 A EP 03006600A EP 03006600 A EP03006600 A EP 03006600A EP 1462185 A1 EP1462185 A1 EP 1462185A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- additive
- washing chamber
- transfer line
- liquid
- pressure
- 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.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 title claims description 16
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 title claims description 16
- 239000003599 detergent Substances 0.000 title description 19
- 239000000654 additive Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 99
- 230000000996 additive effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 82
- 238000005406 washing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 75
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 24
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 19
- 238000005108 dry cleaning Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims description 37
- CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon dioxide Chemical compound O=C=O CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 101
- 229910002092 carbon dioxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 96
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 15
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 description 9
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 7
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 6
- 239000001569 carbon dioxide Substances 0.000 description 5
- 238000005507 spraying Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000013019 agitation Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000002304 perfume Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000005086 pumping Methods 0.000 description 3
- IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N Atomic nitrogen Chemical compound N#N IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000003242 anti bacterial agent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000002216 antistatic agent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000003380 propellant Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004094 surface-active agent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004809 Teflon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920006362 Teflon® Polymers 0.000 description 1
- -1 anti-static Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 235000011089 carbon dioxide Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000003795 chemical substances by application Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000356 contaminant Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000009826 distribution Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002349 favourable effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008014 freezing Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007710 freezing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 231100001261 hazardous Toxicity 0.000 description 1
- 239000007791 liquid phase Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052757 nitrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000063 preceeding effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010926 purge Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004753 textile Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000013022 venting Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B08—CLEANING
- B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
- B08B7/00—Cleaning by methods not provided for in a single other subclass or a single group in this subclass
- B08B7/0021—Cleaning by methods not provided for in a single other subclass or a single group in this subclass by liquid gases or supercritical fluids
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06B—TREATING TEXTILE MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS, GASES OR VAPOURS
- D06B23/00—Component parts, details, or accessories of apparatus or machines, specially adapted for the treating of textile materials, not restricted to a particular kind of apparatus, provided for in groups D06B1/00 - D06B21/00
- D06B23/20—Arrangements of apparatus for treating processing-liquids, -gases or -vapours, e.g. purification, filtration or distillation
- D06B23/205—Arrangements of apparatus for treating processing-liquids, -gases or -vapours, e.g. purification, filtration or distillation for adding or mixing constituents of the treating material
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F43/00—Dry-cleaning apparatus or methods using volatile solvents
Definitions
- the invention relates to a method to introduce an additive into a washing chamber of a CO 2 dry cleaning system wherein said additive is transferred from an additive reservoir into a CO 2 transfer line connecting a CO 2 storage tank with said washing chamber.
- Dry-cleaning using liquid carbon dioxide is known as an environmentally friendly cleaning technique with favourable cleaning properties which can be used to remove contaminants from garments or textiles as well as from metal, machinery, workpieces or other parts. It is further known that the cleaning performance of carbon dioxide dry-cleaning can be improved by the addition of detergents, surfactants or other additives.
- the additives can be premixed in CO 2 and stored in high-pressure cylinders. But that requires a complicated manufacturing process and the filling of the cylinders has to be carried out at a specialty gas plant by a person with gas filling experience. Further, there might occur changes in the concentration of the additive in the CO 2 during use of the mixture.
- US patent 6,129,451 discloses another method to add a surfactant or a detergent to a carbon dioxide dry cleaning system.
- the additive is pumped from a supply source into a mixing reservoir having a capacity of 2 liters.
- the vent valve of the mixing reservoir is open to the atmosphere.
- Liquid carbon dioxide is then pumped into the reservoir and thoroughly mixed with the detergent.
- the mixture is transferred to the washing chamber under the force of a liquid carbon dioxide pump and dispersed into the washing chamber.
- This object is achieved by a method to introduce an additive into a washing chamber of a CO 2 dry cleaning system wherein said additive is transferred from an additive reservoir into a CO 2 transfer line connecting a CO 2 storage tank with said washing chamber, wherein gaseous CO 2 from said CO 2 storage tank is introduced into said CO 2 transfer line and wherein said additive is propelled into said washing chamber by said gaseous CO 2 .
- CO 2 dry cleaning is typically carried out at pressures above 35 bars up to more than 70 bars.
- the injection of the additives directly into the pressurized washing chamber thus requires a high pressure pump. Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention during the transfer of the additive into the CO 2 transfer line the pressure within the CO 2 transfer line does not exceed 20 bars, preferably does not exceed 10 bars. It is then possible to use a low pressure pump to pump the additive out of the additive reservoir.
- the CO 2 transfer line advantageously comprises a segment of increased diameter and the additive is fed into that segment or very close to that segment.
- the CO 2 transfer line may comprise a kind of bulb.
- the segment of increased diameter is not aimed for mixing the additive with CO 2 , but provides a sufficient volume in order to assure that enough additive can be pumped into the CO 2 transfer line by using a low pressure pump or can be pushed into the CO 2 transfer line by an excess pressure in the additive reservoir.
- the capacity of that segment or bulb should be high enough that the pressure in it does not exceed a certain maximum pressure, which for example is determined by the maximum pressure of the low pressure pump or the excess pressure in the additive reservoir.
- the orientation of the bulb can be chosen in several ways. But preferably the bulb is vertically oriented with the inlet for the additive and the CO 2 near or at the bottom of the bulb .
- Depressurization means that the pressure is lowered to a value below the excess pressure in the additive reservoir or below the maximum pressure that can be achieved by the low pressure pump which is used to pump the additive from the additive reservoir into the CO 2 transfer line. Due to the pressure difference between the CO 2 transfer line and the washing chamber the additive can then be easily pushed into the washing chamber by gaseous CO 2 .
- the CO 2 transfer line or the bulb contain a pressure of typically 17-20 bar.
- a pressure of typically 17-20 bar By opening the CO 2 transfer line to the washing chamber for only a couple of seconds, prior to the injection of the additive into the CO 2 transfer line or the bulb, it is assured that the bulb and the CO 2 transfer line are ending up at ambient or even lower pressure, depending on the pressure within the washing chamber.
- the washing chamber does not contain liquid CO 2 during the injection of the additive into the washing chamber.
- the additives are blown into the washing chamber by gaseous CO 2 and then liquid CO 2 is introduced into the chamber.
- liquid CO 2 Prior to entering liquid CO 2 the CO 2 transfer line, all additives should be pushed out of the transfer line in order to avoid freezing of the additives which might lead to clogging of the CO 2 transfer line.
- the invention can also be used when the washing chamber is already filled with liquid CO 2 and there is only need to add detergents or when the washing chamber is partly filled with liquid CO 2 .
- the pressure in the washing chamber must of course not exceed the pressure of the gas that is used to propel the additive into the washing chamber, for example the pressure in the washing chamber must not exceed the pressure available in the CO 2 storage tank.
- the gaseous CO 2 used as propellant is withdrawn from the head space of the liquid CO 2 storage tank which is designed for replacing losses during the washing cycle with liquid CO 2 .
- the pressurization of the washing chamber to a pressure above the triple point is preferably not made by using gas from that storage tank, but the washing machine will have to provide gas that can be used to pressurize the washing chamber.
- liquid CO 2 storage tank which is designed for replacing losses during the washing cycle with liquid CO 2 and which has a pressure of about 17 to 20 bar
- gas from the internal high pressure working tank of the dry-cleaning machine as propellant.
- the additive there is no deliberate mixing of the additive and the CO 2 prior to entering the washing chamber.
- the gaseous CO 2 propels the additive into the washing chamber some mixing of CO 2 and additive occurs.
- the major part of the mixing takes place in the washing chamber. For that reason it is advantageous to have a rotating drum or a rotating basket within the washing chamber which creates agitation of the liquid CO 2 .
- baffles or other agitating means, preferably located on the outside of the basket.
- Flexible baffles for example made of teflon, or baffles designed like brushes may be used.
- a nozzle into the washing chamber, that is through an outlet that represents a restriction compared to the overall diameter of the CO 2 transfer line.
- a nozzle should be designed for the additive injection as well as for the transfer of liquid CO 2 into the washing chamber.
- the outlet of the CO 2 transfer line which is for example provided with a nozzle, is designed to flow rates of 5 to 20 liters/minute of additive, preferably of flow rates between 10 and 15 liters/minute.
- a reasonable time to spray the required amount of additive into the washing chamber would be less than 10 seconds.
- the injection time corresponds to the amount of detergent that shall be injected for each given wash situation. In that case a certain injection time and thus the amount injected result in a desired detergent concentration in the actual bath.
- the additive should be sprayed onto the outside of the rotating drum in order to thoroughly mix the additive and the liquid CO 2 . Otherwise the additive might be introduced into some dead ends within the washing chamber which will never be reached by liquid CO 2 , or where agitation will not be sufficient to mix the detergent with the CO 2 .
- the position of the spray nozzle respectively the CO 2 transfer outlet which is used to introduce the additive into the washing chamber should be optimized. It has been found that the degree of mixing of the additive and the liquid CO 2 within the washing chamber depends on several parameters, for example the spraying angle, the position of the additive outlet, the tubing sizes and the design of the spray nozzle. Advatageously the spraying direction should be perpendicular to the basket surface and the spraying point, that is the additive outlet, should be located in the lower half of the basket. Preferably the additive is sprayed at a four or five o'clock position onto the basket if the basket is rotated clockwise.
- a motor to rotate the basket is located within the washing chamber it is preferred to provide the additive outlet with a kind of hood to avoid spraying possibly harmful additives onto the motor.
- additives e.g. perfume, anti-static, anti-bacterial agents, anti-flammables or impregnating/water-proof agents in the rinse bath.
- the additive Independent of the cleaning method the additive must be soluble in CO 2 , must not be hazardous and the detergent should have good cleaning properties. Further the additives should preferably be in the liquid state at room temperature and should not become solid when in contact with CO 2 at temperatures of about-15°C.
- the CO 2 dry cleaning system shown in the figure is of modular design. It comprises a supply unit 1, a detergent injection system according to the invention 2 and the washing machine 3. Each of the modules 1, 2, 3 essentially only contains equipment belonging to its own function.
- Supply unit 1 includes all parts of the system which are necessary for the transfer of CO 2 , in gaseous as well as in liquid form. For sake of simplicity in the figure only a CO 2 storage vessel 4 is shown and all necessary safety features have been omitted in module 1.
- module 1 has to contain safety features that will protect module 1, which is a low pressure unit, from back flow from module 3, which is a high pressure unit.
- Storage vessel 4 contains CO 2 in liquid phase 5 and in the gaseous state 6.
- a CO 2 gas transfer tube 7 is connected to the head space 6 of storage vessel 4.
- the flow of CO 2 gas can be controlled by means of gas valve 8.
- Liquid CO 2 can be withdrawn from storage vessel 1 via liquid transfer tube 9 which is provided with valve 10.
- the valves 8 and 10 could be replaced by a 3-way valve that can be turned between gas and liquid inlet, thus providing gas or liquid on its outlet to transfer line 11.
- CO 2 transfer line 11 connects gas transfer tube 7 as well as liquid transfer tube 9 with the washing chamber 12 of the washing machine 3. Within a portion 13 the inner diameter of transfer line 11 is increased to form a kind of bulb 13 with a volume of about one liter.
- Washing chamber 12 comprises a perforated basket 14 which is rotated in a clockwise direction.
- the end of CO 2 transfer line 11 is provided with a spray nozzle 15 which is directed to the outside of the perforated basket 14.
- Spray nozzle 15 is located in the lower half of rotating basket 14 and the angle between the vertical and the spray direction is between 30° and 60°, preferably about 45°.
- the spray direction is perpendicular to the outside of basket 14.
- Upstream of spray nozzle 15 transfer line 11 is provided with a valve 16 which is part of the washing machine and is a high pressure ball valve, controlled and actuated by the washing machine.
- a three-way-valve 17 is interposed in transfer line 11 between CO 2 storage vessel 4 and bulb 13.
- An additive reservoir 18 contains a detergent or a mixture of detergents, anti-static and anti-bacterial agents and perfume.
- Three-way-valve 17 interconnects with the additive reservoir 18 by means of an additive transfer tube 19 and a hose 20.
- a low pressure pump 21 is interposed between the additive reservoir 18 and hose 20.
- additive transfer tube 19 or hose 20 comprise a safety relief valve 23 and a check valve 24 which are designed to handle a back pressure burst from the washing chamber 12 which might occur when 3-way valve 17 is in a position where it connects hose 20 with bulb 13 or if it risks leaking between hose 20 and bulb 13 independently of its position. Additional safety relief valves of appropriate size and design may need to be added. Also, if the pressure in the system downstream the low pressure pump 21 is too high, i.e. if the pressure in high pressure hose 20 is too high for the low pressure pump 21 to overcome, the additives will be able to flow back through a by-pass line 25 situated parallel to the low pressure pump 21.
- the sequence of operation of the detergent injection system is as follows: The objects to be cleaned, for example garments or parts, are loaded into the basket 14 of the washing machine 3. Then the door of the washing chamber 12 is closed.
- Three-way-valve 17 is turned to open the way from the additive reservoir 18 to transfer line 11.
- the bulb 13 and transfer line 11 contain a pressure of typically 17-20 bar, because the transfer that has been made during that previous cycle left said pressure in the system: Either, a full transfer was made with injection of detergent into the washing chamber, followed by liquid CO 2 transfer from tank 4 and followed by purging of the lines with gaseous CO 2 with a pressure of 17-20 bar. Or only a detergent injection took place, for example if the machine did not need additional CO 2 , which also left 17-20 bar in bulb 13.
- valve 16 By opening the valve 16 for only a couple of seconds, prior to the injection of additives into the bulb 13, it is assured that the bulb 13 and transfer line 11 are vented into the washing chamber 12, thus ending up at ambient or even lower pressure, given that the washing chamber 12 is at ambient pressure or has been evacuated.
- valve 16 is closed and detergent is injected into the bulb 13.
- Low pressure pump 21 is started and additive is pumped from the additive reservoir 18 into transfer line 11 and in particular into bulb 13.
- the pressure in transfer line 11 Prior to starting pump 21 as well as during the pumping procedure the pressure in transfer line 11 is controlled by means of a pressure indicator 22.
- the pressure increase measured by the pressure indicator 22 is directly related to the amount of additive pumped into the bulb 13 and thus can be used to determine the amount of additive in the bulb 13.
- the pressure within the bulb 13 must be below the maximum pressure of the low pressure pump 21. Further, in order to save time it is advantageous to evacuate and then pressurize washing chamber 12 during additive injection into bulb 13. Valve 16 is closed during that period. The pressurization of the washing chamber 12 should be made to above the triple point of C02, but not higher than the pressure available from the storage tank 4 or whatever gas source is used for propelling the additives.
- valve 17 is turned to open the connection between the liquid CO 2 storage vessel 4 and transfer line 11.
- Valve 10 is closed and valve 8 is opened.
- Gaseous CO 2 flows from the head space 6 of storage vessel 4 into transfer line 11.
- washing chamber valve 16 is opened for about 10 seconds.
- the additive is propelled through transfer line 11 into the washing chamber 12 and sprayed on the outer surface of rotating basket 14.
- washing chamber valve 16 is closed.
- Supply unit 1 is then used to transfer liquid CO 2 into washing chamber 12, but only the amount of CO 2 corresponding to losses due to venting after the previous wash cycle(s). Therefore, gas valve 8 is closed and valves 10 and 16 are opened. Liquid CO 2 is pushed by the over pressure in head space 6 of CO 2 storage vessel 4 through transfer line 11 into washing chamber 12. When enough CO 2 to make up for losses has been transferred into the washing chamber 12 from storage tank 4, the rest of the CO 2 needed for washing is filled into the washing chamber 12 from the internal high pressure storage tank of the washing machine itself. When there is enough liquid CO 2 in the washing chamber 12, the cleaning process can be started.
- the amount of liquid CO 2 taken from tank 4 is only aimed to make up for losses during the previous wash cycle(s).
- the rest of the liquid CO 2 which is required for the bath is taken from the internal working tank (not shown in the figure) of the washing machine.
- valves 8, 10, 16 and 17 and pump 21 may be controlled by a control unit.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Textile Engineering (AREA)
- Detergent Compositions (AREA)
Abstract
The invention relates to a method to introduce an additive into a washing chamber (12)
of a CO2 dry cleaning system. The additive is transferred from an additive reservoir (18)
into a CO2 transfer line (11) connecting a CO2 storage tank (4) with said washing
chamber (12). Gaseous CO2 from said CO2 storage tank (4) is introduced into said CO2
transfer line (11) and said additive is propelled into said washing chamber (12) by said
gaseous CO2.
Description
- The invention relates to a method to introduce an additive into a washing chamber of a CO2 dry cleaning system wherein said additive is transferred from an additive reservoir into a CO2 transfer line connecting a CO2 storage tank with said washing chamber.
- Dry-cleaning using liquid carbon dioxide is known as an environmentally friendly cleaning technique with favourable cleaning properties which can be used to remove contaminants from garments or textiles as well as from metal, machinery, workpieces or other parts. It is further known that the cleaning performance of carbon dioxide dry-cleaning can be improved by the addition of detergents, surfactants or other additives.
- There are several possibilities for the introduction of such additives: For example, the additives can be premixed in CO2 and stored in high-pressure cylinders. But that requires a complicated manufacturing process and the filling of the cylinders has to be carried out at a specialty gas plant by a person with gas filling experience. Further, there might occur changes in the concentration of the additive in the CO2 during use of the mixture.
- Instead of premixing the additive into CO2, other carrier fluids, for example gaseous nitrogen, may be used. However, the disadvantages with respect to the filling procedure and the distribution of the mixtures remain the same.
- US patent 6,129,451 discloses another method to add a surfactant or a detergent to a carbon dioxide dry cleaning system. The additive is pumped from a supply source into a mixing reservoir having a capacity of 2 liters. During pumping of the additive the vent valve of the mixing reservoir is open to the atmosphere. Liquid carbon dioxide is then pumped into the reservoir and thoroughly mixed with the detergent. The mixture is transferred to the washing chamber under the force of a liquid carbon dioxide pump and dispersed into the washing chamber.
- A thorough mixing of the additive with the liquid CO2 requires that the maximum solubility of the additive in CO2 is known. That means that in the method according to US 6,129,451 the necessary capacity of the mixing reservoir may vary from additive to additive. Further, according to US 6,129,451 the mixing reservoir is open to the atmosphere when the additive is pumped into it, meaning that a low pressure pump can be used which is cheaper than a high pressure pump. However, since in the next process step liquid CO2 is injected into the mixing reservoir without preceeding pressurisation of the reservoir to a pressure above the triple point of CO2, there is a certain risk of dry ice formation.
- Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a method to introduce an additive into a CO2 dry cleaning system.
- This object is achieved by a method to introduce an additive into a washing chamber of a CO2 dry cleaning system wherein said additive is transferred from an additive reservoir into a CO2 transfer line connecting a CO2 storage tank with said washing chamber, wherein gaseous CO2 from said CO2 storage tank is introduced into said CO2 transfer line and wherein said additive is propelled into said washing chamber by said gaseous CO2.
- CO2 dry cleaning is typically carried out at pressures above 35 bars up to more than 70 bars. The injection of the additives directly into the pressurized washing chamber thus requires a high pressure pump. Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention during the transfer of the additive into the CO2 transfer line the pressure within the CO2 transfer line does not exceed 20 bars, preferably does not exceed 10 bars. It is then possible to use a low pressure pump to pump the additive out of the additive reservoir.
- The CO2 transfer line advantageously comprises a segment of increased diameter and the additive is fed into that segment or very close to that segment. For example the CO2 transfer line may comprise a kind of bulb. The segment of increased diameter is not aimed for mixing the additive with CO2, but provides a sufficient volume in order to assure that enough additive can be pumped into the CO2 transfer line by using a low pressure pump or can be pushed into the CO2 transfer line by an excess pressure in the additive reservoir. The capacity of that segment or bulb should be high enough that the pressure in it does not exceed a certain maximum pressure, which for example is determined by the maximum pressure of the low pressure pump or the excess pressure in the additive reservoir. It is apparent for the man skilled in the art that the orientation of the bulb can be chosen in several ways. But preferably the bulb is vertically oriented with the inlet for the additive and the CO2 near or at the bottom of the bulb .
- It is further advantageous to depressurize the washing chamber prior to injecting the additive into it. Depressurization means that the pressure is lowered to a value below the excess pressure in the additive reservoir or below the maximum pressure that can be achieved by the low pressure pump which is used to pump the additive from the additive reservoir into the CO2 transfer line. Due to the pressure difference between the CO2 transfer line and the washing chamber the additive can then be easily pushed into the washing chamber by gaseous CO2.
- For example, after a wash cycle, the CO2 transfer line or the bulb contain a pressure of typically 17-20 bar. By opening the CO2 transfer line to the washing chamber for only a couple of seconds, prior to the injection of the additive into the CO2 transfer line or the bulb, it is assured that the bulb and the CO2 transfer line are ending up at ambient or even lower pressure, depending on the pressure within the washing chamber.
- In a preferred embodiment the washing chamber does not contain liquid CO2 during the injection of the additive into the washing chamber. In that case first the additives are blown into the washing chamber by gaseous CO2 and then liquid CO2 is introduced into the chamber. Prior to entering liquid CO2 the CO2 transfer line, all additives should be pushed out of the transfer line in order to avoid freezing of the additives which might lead to clogging of the CO2 transfer line.
- But the invention can also be used when the washing chamber is already filled with liquid CO2 and there is only need to add detergents or when the washing chamber is partly filled with liquid CO2. In this case the pressure in the washing chamber must of course not exceed the pressure of the gas that is used to propel the additive into the washing chamber, for example the pressure in the washing chamber must not exceed the pressure available in the CO2 storage tank.
- Preferably the gaseous CO2 used as propellant is withdrawn from the head space of the liquid CO2 storage tank which is designed for replacing losses during the washing cycle with liquid CO2. Since the CO2 gas reserve in the CO2 liquid storage tank is often small, the pressurization of the washing chamber to a pressure above the triple point is preferably not made by using gas from that storage tank, but the washing machine will have to provide gas that can be used to pressurize the washing chamber.
- Instead of the liquid CO2 storage tank which is designed for replacing losses during the washing cycle with liquid CO2 and which has a pressure of about 17 to 20 bar, it is also possible to use gas from the internal high pressure working tank of the dry-cleaning machine as propellant.
- Preferably, there is no deliberate mixing of the additive and the CO2 prior to entering the washing chamber. Of course when the gaseous CO2 propels the additive into the washing chamber some mixing of CO2 and additive occurs. But according to the invention the major part of the mixing takes place in the washing chamber. For that reason it is advantageous to have a rotating drum or a rotating basket within the washing chamber which creates agitation of the liquid CO2.
- The agitation in the washing chamber could be improved by the use of baffles or other agitating means, preferably located on the outside of the basket. Flexible baffles, for example made of teflon, or baffles designed like brushes may be used.
- It is preferred to spray the additive through a nozzle into the washing chamber, that is through an outlet that represents a restriction compared to the overall diameter of the CO2 transfer line. Such a nozzle should be designed for the additive injection as well as for the transfer of liquid CO2 into the washing chamber. To avoid the risk of clogging, for example by particles of frozen additive, it might also be advantageous to use a CO2 transfer line with a straight tube end without any restriction in diameter.
- Preferably the outlet of the CO2 transfer line, which is for example provided with a nozzle, is designed to flow rates of 5 to 20 liters/minute of additive, preferably of flow rates between 10 and 15 liters/minute. A reasonable time to spray the required amount of additive into the washing chamber would be less than 10 seconds.
- Preferably the injection time corresponds to the amount of detergent that shall be injected for each given wash situation. In that case a certain injection time and thus the amount injected result in a desired detergent concentration in the actual bath.
- As mentioned above it is preferred to have a rotating basket perforated with holes within the washing chamber. The distance between the outer surface of the rotating drum and the inner walls of the washing chamber is typically about 20 to 50 mm. It has been found that the additive should be sprayed onto the outside of the rotating drum in order to thoroughly mix the additive and the liquid CO2. Otherwise the additive might be introduced into some dead ends within the washing chamber which will never be reached by liquid CO2, or where agitation will not be sufficient to mix the detergent with the CO2.
- The position of the spray nozzle respectively the CO2 transfer outlet which is used to introduce the additive into the washing chamber should be optimized. It has been found that the degree of mixing of the additive and the liquid CO2 within the washing chamber depends on several parameters, for example the spraying angle, the position of the additive outlet, the tubing sizes and the design of the spray nozzle. Advatageously the spraying direction should be perpendicular to the basket surface and the spraying point, that is the additive outlet, should be located in the lower half of the basket. Preferably the additive is sprayed at a four or five o'clock position onto the basket if the basket is rotated clockwise.
- In case a motor to rotate the basket is located within the washing chamber it is preferred to provide the additive outlet with a kind of hood to avoid spraying possibly harmful additives onto the motor.
- In one embodiment of the invention there is only one additive reservoir which contains a mixture of detergent, anti-static agent and perfume. But it is also possible to have different reservoirs for different additives. For example, when cleaning the objects in a two-bath cycle with a wash bath and a rinse bath, it is advantageous to use only detergents in the wash bath and different additives, e.g. perfume, anti-static, anti-bacterial agents, anti-flammables or impregnating/water-proof agents in the rinse bath.
- Independent of the cleaning method the additive must be soluble in CO2, must not be hazardous and the detergent should have good cleaning properties. Further the additives should preferably be in the liquid state at room temperature and should not become solid when in contact with CO2 at temperatures of about-15°C.
- The invention as well as further details and preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which the
- figure
- is a schematic drawing of the inventive detergent injection system.
- The CO2 dry cleaning system shown in the figure is of modular design. It comprises a supply unit 1, a detergent injection system according to the
invention 2 and thewashing machine 3. Each of themodules - Supply unit 1 includes all parts of the system which are necessary for the transfer of CO2, in gaseous as well as in liquid form. For sake of simplicity in the figure only a CO2 storage vessel 4 is shown and all necessary safety features have been omitted in module 1. For example module 1 has to contain safety features that will protect module 1, which is a low pressure unit, from back flow from
module 3, which is a high pressure unit. -
Storage vessel 4 contains CO2 inliquid phase 5 and in thegaseous state 6. A CO2 gas transfer tube 7 is connected to thehead space 6 ofstorage vessel 4. The flow of CO2 gas can be controlled by means ofgas valve 8. Liquid CO2 can be withdrawn from storage vessel 1 via liquid transfer tube 9 which is provided withvalve 10. Of course, thevalves - CO2 transfer line 11 connects gas transfer tube 7 as well as liquid transfer tube 9 with the
washing chamber 12 of thewashing machine 3. Within a portion 13 the inner diameter of transfer line 11 is increased to form a kind of bulb 13 with a volume of about one liter.Washing chamber 12 comprises aperforated basket 14 which is rotated in a clockwise direction. The end of CO2 transfer line 11 is provided with aspray nozzle 15 which is directed to the outside of theperforated basket 14. Spraynozzle 15 is located in the lower half of rotatingbasket 14 and the angle between the vertical and the spray direction is between 30° and 60°, preferably about 45°. The spray direction is perpendicular to the outside ofbasket 14. Upstream ofspray nozzle 15 transfer line 11 is provided with avalve 16 which is part of the washing machine and is a high pressure ball valve, controlled and actuated by the washing machine. - A three-way-valve 17 is interposed in transfer line 11 between CO2 storage vessel 4 and bulb 13. An
additive reservoir 18 contains a detergent or a mixture of detergents, anti-static and anti-bacterial agents and perfume. Three-way-valve 17 interconnects with theadditive reservoir 18 by means of anadditive transfer tube 19 and ahose 20. Alow pressure pump 21 is interposed between theadditive reservoir 18 andhose 20. - Further,
additive transfer tube 19 orhose 20 comprise asafety relief valve 23 and acheck valve 24 which are designed to handle a back pressure burst from thewashing chamber 12 which might occur when 3-way valve 17 is in a position where it connectshose 20 with bulb 13 or if it risks leaking betweenhose 20 and bulb 13 independently of its position. Additional safety relief valves of appropriate size and design may need to be added. Also, if the pressure in the system downstream thelow pressure pump 21 is too high, i.e. if the pressure inhigh pressure hose 20 is too high for thelow pressure pump 21 to overcome, the additives will be able to flow back through a by-pass line 25 situated parallel to thelow pressure pump 21. - The sequence of operation of the detergent injection system is as follows: The objects to be cleaned, for example garments or parts, are loaded into the
basket 14 of thewashing machine 3. Then the door of thewashing chamber 12 is closed. - Three-way-valve 17 is turned to open the way from the
additive reservoir 18 to transfer line 11. - After the previous wash cycle, the bulb 13 and transfer line 11 contain a pressure of typically 17-20 bar, because the transfer that has been made during that previous cycle left said pressure in the system: Either, a full transfer was made with injection of detergent into the washing chamber, followed by liquid CO2 transfer from
tank 4 and followed by purging of the lines with gaseous CO2 with a pressure of 17-20 bar. Or only a detergent injection took place, for example if the machine did not need additional CO2, which also left 17-20 bar in bulb 13. - By opening the
valve 16 for only a couple of seconds, prior to the injection of additives into the bulb 13, it is assured that the bulb 13 and transfer line 11 are vented into thewashing chamber 12, thus ending up at ambient or even lower pressure, given that thewashing chamber 12 is at ambient pressure or has been evacuated. - Then
valve 16 is closed and detergent is injected into the bulb 13.Low pressure pump 21 is started and additive is pumped from theadditive reservoir 18 into transfer line 11 and in particular into bulb 13. Prior to startingpump 21 as well as during the pumping procedure the pressure in transfer line 11 is controlled by means of apressure indicator 22. When the correct amount of additive is pumped into the bulb 13low pressure pump 21 is stopped. The pressure increase measured by thepressure indicator 22 is directly related to the amount of additive pumped into the bulb 13 and thus can be used to determine the amount of additive in the bulb 13. - But it is also possible to use a liquid level indicator within the
additive reservoir 18 or a flowmeter in order to measure the amount of additive transferred into transfer line 11. Finally, knowing the flowrate of thepump 21 or the volume per pump strike, if a piston pump is used, the amount of additives injected could be determined by measuring the pumping time or by counting the number of pump strikes. - During the injection of additives into the bulb 13, the pressure within the bulb 13 must be below the maximum pressure of the
low pressure pump 21. Further, in order to save time it is advantageous to evacuate and then pressurizewashing chamber 12 during additive injection into bulb 13.Valve 16 is closed during that period. The pressurization of thewashing chamber 12 should be made to above the triple point of C02, but not higher than the pressure available from thestorage tank 4 or whatever gas source is used for propelling the additives. - Next, three-way-valve 17 is turned to open the connection between the liquid CO2 storage vessel 4 and transfer line 11.
Valve 10 is closed andvalve 8 is opened. Gaseous CO2 flows from thehead space 6 ofstorage vessel 4 into transfer line 11. - Then washing
chamber valve 16 is opened for about 10 seconds. By means of the gaseous CO2 the additive is propelled through transfer line 11 into thewashing chamber 12 and sprayed on the outer surface of rotatingbasket 14. When the additive transfer is completedwashing chamber valve 16 is closed. - Supply unit 1 is then used to transfer liquid CO2 into
washing chamber 12, but only the amount of CO2 corresponding to losses due to venting after the previous wash cycle(s). Therefore,gas valve 8 is closed andvalves head space 6 of CO2 storage vessel 4 through transfer line 11 intowashing chamber 12. When enough CO2 to make up for losses has been transferred into thewashing chamber 12 fromstorage tank 4, the rest of the CO2 needed for washing is filled into thewashing chamber 12 from the internal high pressure storage tank of the washing machine itself. When there is enough liquid CO2 in thewashing chamber 12, the cleaning process can be started. - As described above, the amount of liquid CO2 taken from
tank 4 is only aimed to make up for losses during the previous wash cycle(s). The rest of the liquid CO2 which is required for the bath is taken from the internal working tank (not shown in the figure) of the washing machine. - It is obvious for a person skilled in the art that several parts of the equipment used with the invention are preferably controlled by any kind of electrical or pneumatical means. For example,
valves
Claims (7)
- Method to introduce an additive into a washing chamber of a CO2 dry cleaning system wherein said additive is transferred from an additive reservoir into a CO2 transfer line connecting a CO2 storage tank with said washing chamber, characterized in that gaseous CO2 from said CO2 storage tank (4) is introduced into said CO2 transfer line (11) and that said additive is propelled into said washing chamber (12) by said gaseous CO2.
- Method according to claim 1, characterized in that during said transfer of said additive into said CO2 transfer line (11) the pressure within said CO2 transfer line (11) does not exceed 20 bars, preferably does not exceed 10 bars.
- Method according to any of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said CO2 transfer line (11) comprises a segment (13) of increased diameter and that said additive is transferred into said segment (13).
- Method according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said washing chamber (12) does not contain liquid CO2 during the injection of said additive into said washing chamber (12).
- Method according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that liquid CO2 is transferred from said CO2 storage tank (4) into said washing chamber (12).
- Method according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said washing chamber (12) comprises a rotatable basket (14) and that said additive is blown onto the outer surface of said rotatable basket (14).
- Method according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that different types of additives are stored in one single additive reservoir (18).
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP03006600A EP1462185A1 (en) | 2003-03-25 | 2003-03-25 | Detergent injection system |
PCT/EP2004/003018 WO2004082858A1 (en) | 2003-03-21 | 2004-03-22 | Parts cleaning |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP03006600A EP1462185A1 (en) | 2003-03-25 | 2003-03-25 | Detergent injection system |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1462185A1 true EP1462185A1 (en) | 2004-09-29 |
Family
ID=32798885
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP03006600A Withdrawn EP1462185A1 (en) | 2003-03-21 | 2003-03-25 | Detergent injection system |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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EP (1) | EP1462185A1 (en) |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5412958A (en) * | 1992-07-13 | 1995-05-09 | The Clorox Company | Liquid/supercritical carbon dioxide/dry cleaning system |
US5512058A (en) * | 1992-10-02 | 1996-04-30 | Commissariat L'energie Atomique | Process for the treatment of skins, hides or shett materials containing collagen by a dense, pressurized fluid |
US6129451A (en) * | 1998-01-12 | 2000-10-10 | Snap-Tite Technologies, Inc. | Liquid carbon dioxide cleaning system and method |
US20030033676A1 (en) * | 1999-05-14 | 2003-02-20 | Deyoung James P. | Detergent injection systems and methods for carbon dioxide microelectronic substrate processing systems |
US20030051741A1 (en) * | 2001-09-14 | 2003-03-20 | Desimone Joseph M. | Method and apparatus for cleaning substrates using liquid carbon dioxide |
-
2003
- 2003-03-25 EP EP03006600A patent/EP1462185A1/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5412958A (en) * | 1992-07-13 | 1995-05-09 | The Clorox Company | Liquid/supercritical carbon dioxide/dry cleaning system |
US5512058A (en) * | 1992-10-02 | 1996-04-30 | Commissariat L'energie Atomique | Process for the treatment of skins, hides or shett materials containing collagen by a dense, pressurized fluid |
US6129451A (en) * | 1998-01-12 | 2000-10-10 | Snap-Tite Technologies, Inc. | Liquid carbon dioxide cleaning system and method |
US20030033676A1 (en) * | 1999-05-14 | 2003-02-20 | Deyoung James P. | Detergent injection systems and methods for carbon dioxide microelectronic substrate processing systems |
US20030051741A1 (en) * | 2001-09-14 | 2003-03-20 | Desimone Joseph M. | Method and apparatus for cleaning substrates using liquid carbon dioxide |
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