GB2110251A

GB2110251A - A dry cleaning machine

Info

Publication number: GB2110251A
Application number: GB08219787A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gino Maestrelli
Original assignee: Maestrelli SpA
Current assignee: Maestrelli SpA
Priority date: 1981-11-26
Filing date: 1982-07-08
Publication date: 1983-06-15
Also published as: FR2516953B3; DE8219301U1; AU9020482A; IT8123626V0; FR2516953A3; CA1192412A; CH649111A5; JPS5897398A; GB2110251B

Abstract

A drycleaning machine having an open or closed ventilation and drying circuit for recovering solvent from the cleaned clothes, is characterised in that within said circuit a heat exchanger 17 is inserted with a cooling part downstream of the machine drum D and upstream of a solvent condenser P and with a warming part upstream of an air flow heater T. After a cleaning (washing) operation, drying air is circulated by a blower-aspirator G through a filter 12, through tubes 22 of the heat- exchanger M, and across the condenser P, solvent recovery occurring at a plug 28. The cool air is re-heated by contacting the outer surfaces of the tubes 22 as it passes to a duct 42 from which it is fed to the heater T and, if necessary, is heated further by resistors 54 as it passes to the drum D. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A dry cleaning machine This invention relates to a dry cleaning machine for clothes or the like.

It is well known that, in dry cleaning machines, after a washing phase by means of a solvent, a cloth ventilation and drying phase is foreseen. This ventilation and drying phase is carried-out by forcing, through the machine drum, an air current which is warmed-up by high temperature heating means. The air enters the drum in a purified condition and leaves said drum with the solvent picked-up from clothes.

Outside the drum, the air current is cooled to condense the solvent. The same air current (in case of closed circuit) or a fresh one (in case of open circuit) is then passed through heating means that bring the same to a suitably high temperature. This known operation of the solvent circuit involves a high energy consumption, in particular due to heating means which are usually electrically operated.

The present invention seeks to provide a drycleaning machine wherein such an energy consumption is reduced.

According to the present invention there is provided a drycleaning machine having a chamber housing a rotatable drum for clothes and the like, said machine having an open or closed ventilation and drying circuit comprising means for heating an air current, means for feeding said heated air current in to said drum, means for drawing said air current with solvent vapours from said drum, and at least a solvent condenser for cooling said air current below the solvent boiling point, wherein at least one heat exchanger is placed along said ventilation and drying circuit in heat exchange conditions with at least a warm air current downstream of said machine drum and upstream of said solvent condenser and with at least a cool air current upstream of the air current heating means.

Preferably, the heat exchanger is of the continuous type, with warm air inner paths, for instance in the form of tubes, and with cool air inner paths, for instance obtained in the heat exchanger inner volume outside said tubes. Said heat exchange is suitably slanted toward the horizontal, so to allow draining of condensed solvent from the tubes thereof.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows, in sectional elevation, a diagrammatic view of a dry cleaning machine.

With reference to the drawing, a dry cleaning machine or plant for clothes or the like is diagrammatical. The drawing shows only sufficient detail of the machine necessary for the understanding of the embodiment. The machine has a base A carrying a frame B which comprises a chamber C wherein a riddled washing drum D is housed. The drum D is rotatable about a horizontal axis X-X and houses the clothes or the like 10 to be cleaned. The chamber C communicates with a further chamber F which is supported by the machine frame and houses a filter 12 for the air flow, circulating along a ventilation and drying circuit as depicted by the arrows. The filter 12 may be of any suitable type and retains any down or impurity drawn-up from the clothes 10 during the ventilation and drying step.An upright duct 14 communicates said chamber F with a blower aspirator G of the vertical axis type, having a fan operated by a motor H.

The air current as delivered by element G is fed to a divergent collector-fitting 18 which is sealingly fixed to a first end 20 of a housing L containing a heat exchanger of the parallel tube type.

The opposite end 24 of such housing L is sealingly connected to a divergent collector duct N wherein a cooling means P, in particular an evaporator of a refrigerating machine, is housed. The duct N has a plug 23 at the end of its slanting lower wall, to discharge the solvent as drawn by the warm air flowing through the tubes 22 of heat exchanger M (arrows Y) and condensed within the cooler P.

The heat exchanger M, which has free spaces 30 between its parallel tubes 22, is placed downstream of the blower G and upstream of the cooler P and is downwardly slanting from its end 20 to its end 24.

Downstream of the cooler P, a diverging chamber Q is connected, by means of a duct 32, with a volume R. Volume R is defined within the heat exchanger M, by the free spaces 30 between the heat exchanger tubes 22. The duct 32 comprising an outlet 34 from chamber Q and an inlet 36 to the volume R.

Reference 38 identifies baffle means which define a tortuous path for the air current, as depicted by arrows 40 within the heat exchanger M.

A duct 42 is connected to an outlet end of volume R, in order to convey the air flow as indicated by arrows 44 and 46.

Of course the nest of tubes 22 is fixed, at opposite ends of the heat exchanger, by means of tube plates adapted for connecting the tubes 22 with the end manifolds and for sealing the volume R.

The duct42 has an elbow 48 and is then sealingly connected to a diverging chamber S, which in turn is connected to a downstream cylindrical portion S' wherein a heater or the condenser of a refrigerating machine is housed. The air current, pre-heated within the heat exchanger M, flows through said heater T and, when required, to a further heating means 54, which may be placed downstream the heater T if heater T is considered insufficient to bring the air to the required temperature.

The chamber portion S', by means of an elbow 56, is then connected with a vertical duct 58 wherein the warm air current flows as illustrated by arrow 60 to the inlet 62 of chamber C.

The heat exchanger M could be of a type different than the shown one, for instance, with plane surfaces of fins.

The advantages and operation of the dry cleaning machine according to this embodiment of the invention can now be summarized.

After the washing step of clothes 10 within drum D by means of a solvent, a cloth ventilation and drying step is carried-out, together with a solvent recovery, both in open circuit plants or in closed circuit plants, as that shown in the drawing.

The whole close circuit is shown by the arrows in the drawing. From outlet 62 of the warm air duct 58, the warm air current follows arrows 64, through the clothes 10, with ventilation of chamber C and drying of clothes. The air current is then fed (arrows 66) to chamber Fwherein said filter 12 retains down and impurities from clothes 10. The warm air current is then sucked, through fitting 14, by blower-aspirator G and fed, as illustrated by arrows 68, to the heat exchanger M.

The air current at high temperature flows within tubes 22 of heat-exchanger M and heats said tubes, while possible solvent condensate particles formed within tubes 22 are discharged into chamber Q and then to the solvent recovery through plug 28. The air current flows as illustrated by arrows y-y from tubes 22. The air current crosses the cooler P along arrows 70 thereby to be cooled until attaining a whole solvent condensation; solvent recovery occurring at plug 28. Since the cool air must be then newly warmed to perform its drying operation, it follows arrows 72 along duct 32 to be fed to said heatexchanger M, namely to volume R thereof. The cool air contacts the hot outer surfaces of tubes 22 and is then pre-heated, with heat recovery. Preferably the air may follow a tortuous path as shown by arrows 40, in countercurrent to the flow within tubes 22.

However, different types of heat exchanger may be foreseen, for instance of the equicurrent or crossedcurrent type.

The pre-heated air from heat-exchanger M is then fed to duct 42, as illustrated by arrows 46, and to chamber S (arrows 52) to reach the heater T, wherein the necessary air temperature for drying clothes 10 within drum D is obtained. If necessary, further heating resistors 54 may be placed downstream of the heaterT, if heater T a bove is insufficientto raise the air temperature to the desired operating temperature. The warm air follows arrows 56-60 along duct 58 until reaching the lower opening 62 thereof and chamber C, wherein clothes 10 are dried by current 64.

It is to be understood that the heat recovery in the heat-exchanger affords a reduction of the energy consumption of 30-50% in comparison with known machines.

Claims

1. A drycleaning machine having a chamber housing a rotatable drum for clothes and the like, said machine having an open or closed ventilation and drying circuit comprising means for heating an air current, means for feeding said heated air current in to said drum, means for drawing said air current with solvent vapours from said drum, and at least a solvent condenser for cooling.said air current below the solvent boiling point, wherein at least one heat exchanger is placed along said ventilation and drying circuit in heat exchange conditions with at least a warm air current downstream of said machine drum and upstream of said solventconde nser and with at least a cool air current upstream of the air current heating means.

2. A drycleaning machine as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said ventilation and drying circuit is a closed circuit with fan means downstairs of said drum for circulating said air current, wherein said heat exchanger has at least a warm air cooling path downstream of said fan and upstream of said solvent condenser, and at least a cool air warming path downstream of said solvent condenser.

3. A drycleaning machine as claimed in either Claim 1 or 2, wherein said heat exchanger comprises a series of tubes wherein the warm air is conveyed, while a cool air path is provided for outside said tubes.

4. A drycleaning machine as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said heat exchanger is slanted in such a manner to convey the liquid solvent condensed within the tubes thereof to a zone downward of the same.

5. A drycleaning machine having a chamber housing a rotatable drum for clothes and the like, arranged constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.