JP2008104898A - Apparatus for regenerating solution to be treated - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent falling of diatomaceous earth on a filter surface by avoiding remaining of air inside a vessel, when refilling a solvent after discharging the solvent for regenerating a spin disk filter. <P>SOLUTION: A pressure switch 35 is disposed in an air venting channel 33 venting air in the vessel 231, when supplying the solvent to the vessel 231 of the spin disk filter 23. After starting storage of the solvent in the vessel 231 and when the solvent is filled in the vessel 231, rises in the air venting channel 33 and reaches the pressure switch 35, the pressure switch is turned ON. A control part 36 closes an air vent valve 34 after a given time from the ON of the pressure switch 35. Thus, the solvent is fully filled in the vessel 231. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for regenerating a liquid to be treated, which is used for purifying and regenerating a solvent used for cleaning, for example, a dry cleaner and various electronic components.

  In dry cleaners used in cleaning stores, solvent regenerators equipped with vacuum distillation devices and filters are used to repeatedly use solvents (silicone oil, petroleum solvents, etc.) that have become dirty by washing laundry. Has been. For example, in solvent regenerating apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 and the like, a filter called a spin disk filter is used to remove fine particulate dust and dirt mixed in the solvent.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the spin disk filter 23 is coaxial with a shaft 232 around which a disk-shaped filter part (filter part) 234 can rotate in a cylindrical container 231 that stores a solvent. A plurality of layers are stacked. The inside of the hollow shaft 232 is a solvent outlet channel 233, and the solvent supplied into the container 231 is mixed into the solvent when flowing into the outlet channel 233 through the mesh-like filter portion 234. The particulate dust is filtered and removed. As the filter unit 234 is used, dirt adheres to the filter unit 234 and clogs it, making it difficult for the solvent to pass through. Therefore, the filter unit 234 is rotated by driving the shaft body 232 periodically or when the filter unit 234 becomes dirty. Rotate at high speed. Thereby, the dust adhering to the filter part 234 is diffused in the solvent in the container 231, and all the contaminated solvent is discharged from the container 231 and distilled. Since the filter unit 234 of the spin disk filter 23 is regenerated in this way, there is an advantage that it can be used for a long time without replacing the filter unit 234 and the running cost is low.

  In a solvent recycling apparatus using such a spin disk filter, finer dust can be removed as the filter section becomes finer. Therefore, in order to capture finer dust, diatomaceous earth known as an ultrafine porous structure is attached to the surface of the filter part at the site of dry cleaning work. For example, in a dry cleaning system that combines a dry cleaner and a solvent regenerator, diatomaceous earth is introduced into the flow path (for example, a drum) of the dry cleaner before the operation is started, and the solvent in the spin disk filter container is distilled after the operation is started. Without performing the above, the solvent passed through the dry cleaner is circulated through the spin disk filter. Then, diatomaceous earth adheres to the surface of the filter part by the pressure of the circulating solvent, and thereby the eyes of the filter part can be made finer.

  By the way, after the dirty solvent in the container is sent to the vacuum distillation apparatus in order to regenerate the filter part of the spin disk filter as described above, it is necessary to fill the container with a clean solvent. Therefore, conventionally, the solvent is supplied by the liquid feed pump with the air vent valve communicating with the container opened, the solvent is stored in the container, and the air vent valve is turned on when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the feed. The container is filled with the solvent by closing.

  However, according to such a conventional method, the spin disk filter container may not be completely filled with the solvent, and some air may remain. As described above, when diatomaceous earth is adhered to the surface of the filter part, the diatomaceous earth easily peels off when the diatomaceous earth dries in a state where the filter part is in contact with air, and the filter part becomes rough at the peeled part. As a result, the dust removal performance deteriorates. In addition, regardless of whether or not diatomaceous earth is used, if air remains in the container, there is a problem that the contact area between the solvent and the filter portion is reduced accordingly, and the filtration efficiency is lowered.

JP-A-7-289788 JP 2006-75806 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to prevent air from remaining in the container when filling the liquid to be treated such as a solvent in the container of the spin disk filter. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for regenerating liquid to be processed.

The present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, is a processing liquid regenerating apparatus for purifying and recovering a processing liquid such as a solvent for a dry cleaner, and temporarily stores the processing liquid. A treatment provided with a filter provided with a filtration part for capturing particulate dirt in the liquid to be treated in the container, and a distillation part for collecting and distilling the dirty liquid to be treated in the container of the filter In the liquid regenerator,
a) an air vent channel connected to the top of the filter container;
b) an air vent valve provided in the middle of the air vent channel;
c) pressure detecting means disposed in the middle of an air vent channel between the air vent valve and the container;
d) When the liquid to be processed is stored again after the liquid to be processed in the container is discharged for processing by the distillation section, the liquid to be processed is sent into the container with the air vent valve opened. Control means for starting to supply and closing the air vent valve after a predetermined time has elapsed since it was detected that the pressure detecting means reached a predetermined pressure;
It is characterized by having.

  In the processing liquid regeneration apparatus according to the present invention, when a processing liquid such as a solvent is supplied to the filter container under the control of the control means, the air corresponding to the amount of the processing liquid introduced into the container Is discharged to the outside through the air vent channel. When the liquid to be processed is filled in the container and the liquid to be processed rises in the air vent channel, the liquid to be processed flows out through the air vent valve. In addition, what is necessary is just to make it collect | recover the to-be-processed liquid which flows out in this case in a tank.

  When the liquid to be processed fills up in the container and further rises in the air vent channel and reaches the pressure detecting means, the detected pressure in the pressure detecting means suddenly increases and exceeds a predetermined pressure. For example, when a pressure switch is used as the pressure detection means, the detection signal changes from off to on (or vice versa) when the pressure received exceeds a predetermined pressure. The control means closes the air vent valve after a predetermined time has elapsed since that time. Then, at least the container for the filter is completely filled with the liquid to be processed. The predetermined time may be zero, but it is better to set to an appropriate value other than zero in order to avoid bubbles remaining in the container.

  According to the apparatus for regenerating liquid to be processed according to the present invention, the liquid to be processed such as a solvent can be surely filled without leaving air in the container of the filter. Thereby, since a filtration part is completely immersed in a to-be-processed liquid in the container of a filter, the contact area of a filtration part and a to-be-processed liquid is large, and high filtration efficiency can be achieved. In addition, when a spin disk filter provided with a plurality of filtration units in a container for temporarily storing a liquid to be treated is used as a filter, and diatomaceous earth is attached as a filter aid to the surface of the filtration unit, the present invention is applied. According to the to-be-processed liquid reproduction | regeneration apparatus which concerns, it can avoid that diatomaceous earth adhering to the filtration part peels off by drying. Thereby, high filtration performance can be secured stably.

  Hereinafter, a solvent regenerator for a dry cleaner which is an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram centering on a solvent flow path of a dry cleaning system using the solvent recycling apparatus of the present embodiment. Here, the liquid to be treated in the present invention is a petroleum-based or silicone-based solvent used for the cleaning operation.

  The dry cleaner body 10 sucks and sends a solvent stored in an outer tub 11 in which a cylindrical drum 12 having a large number of liquid passage holes is rotatably supported and a solvent tank 20 described later. A pump 15 or the like for feeding is provided, and laundry is stored in the drum 12. In FIG. 1, the part other than the tri-cleaner main body 10 is a solvent regenerating apparatus, and the solvent regenerating apparatus removes a solvent tank 20 for storing the solvent and particulate dirt such as fine dust mixed in the solvent. The main components include a spin disk filter 23 and a cartridge filter 25, and a vacuum distillation apparatus 28 that distills the solvent to remove dirt and separates water.

  More specifically, the bottom of the outer tub 11 of the dry cleaner body 10 is connected to the solvent tank 20 via the drainage passage 13, and the discharge port of the pump 15 that sucks the solvent from the solvent tank 20 spins via the three-way valve 22. It is alternatively connected to the inlet of the disk filter container 231 and the bypass passage 24. The outlet of the spin disk filter 23 is connected to the inlet of the cartridge filter 25, and the end of the bypass flow path 24 is also connected to another inlet of the cartridge filter 25. The outlet of the cartridge filter 25 is connected to the outer tub 11 of the dry cleaner body 10 through the liquid supply path 14. The bottom of the spin disk filter container 231 is connected to a vacuum distillation apparatus 28 via a filter drainage path 26 provided with a filter drainage valve 27 on the way. Further, the solvent tank 20 and the vacuum distillation apparatus 28 are also connected by a tank distillation passage 30 and a return passage 32 provided with a tank solvent suction valve 31 on the way.

  The vacuum distillation apparatus 28 includes a distillation pot 281 that heats and vaporizes the solvent, a cooling unit 282 that cools the vaporized solvent to condense and liquefy, a water separator 283 that separates water in the liquefied solvent, and the like. The dirty solvent from the tank 20 and the spin disk filter 23 is received by the distillation kettle 281, which is distilled and cleaned, and then returned to the solvent tank 20.

  The upper part of the container 231 of the spin disk filter 23 and the upper part of the cartridge filter 25 are connected to a common air vent channel 33 extending upward at a position higher than both the filters 23, 25. It is connected to the upper part of the tank 20 through an inserted air vent valve 34. Further, a pressure switch 35 is provided in the air vent channel 33 between the connection point with the spin disk filter 23 and the air vent valve 34, specifically, in the portion extending upward in the air vent channel 33. Yes. The pressure switch 35 outputs a detection signal that is set to a preset pressure as a threshold and is turned off when the received pressure is less than or equal to the threshold, and turned on when the received pressure exceeds the threshold.

  The control unit 36 is mainly composed of a CPU, a ROM storing an operation control program, and the like, receives a detection signal from the pressure switch 35 and the like, and comprehensively controls operations of the valves 22, 34, 27, 31 and the like. However, FIG. 1 shows only signal lines for performing operations characteristic to this embodiment described later.

  Next, the operation of the dry cleaning system configured as described above will be described. When the washing operation is performed with the dry cleaner body 10, the pump 15 is operated to suck the solvent in the solvent tank 20, and the solvent dirt is filtered through the spin disk filter 23, the cartridge filter 25 and the two-stage filter. Later, it is supplied to the outer tub 11 through the liquid supply path 14. The solvent stored in the outer tank 11 returns to the solvent tank 20 through the drainage path 13. Further, when diatomaceous earth is to be adhered to the surface of the filter portion 234 of the spin disk filter 23, diatomaceous earth is introduced into the outer tank 11 before the operation is started, and the solvent continuously passes through the spin disk filter 23 in this state. It is only necessary to execute the operation.

  At this time, the solvent stored in the solvent tank 20 can be purified by the vacuum distillation device 28. That is, when the vacuum distillation apparatus 28 is operated with the filter drain valve 27 closed and the tank solvent suction valve 31 opened, the inside of the distillation tank 281 is depressurized so that the solvent in the solvent tank 20 is distilled. Sucked up. Dirt is removed by distillation in the distillation pot 281 and the cooling unit 282, and further, for example, water mixed by moisture contained in the laundry is separated and removed by the water separator 283. The solvent thus cleaned is returned to the solvent tank 20 via the return channel 32.

  Since the dirty solvent passes through the two stages of the spin disk filter 23 and the cartridge filter 25 in a cascade manner as described above, the filter portion 234 of the spin disk filter 23 is easily contaminated and clogged, and the solvent is difficult to pass through. Therefore, it is necessary to clean up at a relatively high frequency. Therefore, the regeneration process is performed every time the vehicle is operated for a specified time or a specified number of times. When the regeneration process of the spin disk filter 23 is performed during the washing operation, the three-way valve 22 is switched to allow the solvent sent by the pump 15 to flow through the bypass flow path 24. Accordingly, in this case, the spin disk filter 23 is passed, and the solvent is supplied to the outer tub 11 after the dirt is filtered only by the cartridge filter 25.

  At this time, since the solvent is in the container 231 of the spin disk filter 23, the filter unit 234 is rotated at a high speed in the container 231 by rotating the shaft 232 as described above. As a result, the dirt adhering to the filter unit 234 is peeled off and diffused into the solvent in the container 231. After the filter section 234 itself has been peeled off for a predetermined time, the tank solvent suction valve 31 is closed, and the filter drain valve 27 is opened to diffuse the solvent accumulated in the container 231 first. It sends to the distillation kettle 281 of the vacuum distillation apparatus 28 with the made dirt. Then, after the solvent is purified by the vacuum distillation device 28, it is returned to the solvent tank 20.

  As described above, since the solvent in the container 231 of the spin disk filter 23 is once emptied by being discharged into the distillation pot 281, it is necessary to fill the container 231 with the solvent in order to resume the filtration operation. Therefore, in the solvent regeneration apparatus according to the present embodiment, the solvent is filled according to the control procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the transition of the state of the solvent in the spin disk filter container 231 and the air vent channel 33 accompanying this operation.

  First, the filter drain valve 27 is closed, the three-way valve 22 is switched, and the solvent fed by the pump 15 starts to be stored in the container 231 of the spin disk filter 23 (step S1). At that time, the air vent valve 34 is opened. Thereafter, the control unit 36 monitors whether or not the pressure switch 35 is turned on (step S2). As the solvent accumulates in the container 231, as the solvent level rises, the air in the container 231 passes through the air vent channel 33 and escapes from the air vent valve 34 to the outside (in this case, the solvent tank 20). (See FIG. 3 (a)). At this time, since the pressure in the air vent channel 33 hardly changes, the pressure switch 35 remains off.

  When the solvent fills the container 231 and the solvent continues to be introduced, the solvent starts to rise in the air vent channel 33 (see FIG. 3B). At this time, the pressure switch 35 is still in an off state. When the liquid level of the solvent further rises and reaches the installation position of the pressure switch 35 (see FIG. 3C), the pressure switch 35 is turned on by this liquid pressure.

  When detecting that the pressure switch 35 is turned on (Yes in Step S2), the control unit 36 determines whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) has elapsed since that time (Step S3). When the predetermined time has elapsed, the air vent valve 34 is closed (step S4). As a result, the solvent is completely filled in the container 231 of the spin disk filter 23.

  Basically, the container 231 should be filled with the solvent when the pressure switch 35 is turned on. However, there may be a case where bubbles or the like may remain, and the solvent is vigorously contained in the container 231. When it is introduced into the liquid, the liquid surface moves up and down. Therefore, here, in order to expel air from the container 231 with certainty, delay control for a predetermined time is performed in step S3. Therefore, the predetermined time in step S3 may be zero, but may be set to an appropriate value in consideration of the diameter of the air vent channel 33, the liquid feeding capacity of the pump 15, and the like.

  Since the solvent can be automatically filled in the container 231 of the spin disk filter 23 as described above, the filter unit 234 is completely immersed in the solvent. Therefore, the diatomaceous earth adhering to the filter part 234 is not dried, and it can prevent that diatomaceous earth peels off. Further, since the entire filter unit 234 is immersed in the solvent, the contact area between the solvent and the filter unit 234 is maximized, and the filtration efficiency is improved.

  It should be noted that the above embodiment is an example of the present invention, and it is obvious that any modification, correction, or addition as appropriate within the scope of the present invention is included in the scope of the claims of the present application. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a spin disk filter. However, the present invention can naturally be applied to other types of filters such as a cartridge filter.

The block diagram of the principal part of the dry cleaning system using the solvent reproduction | regeneration apparatus which is one Example of this invention. The flowchart which shows the control procedure at the time of the solvent filling to the container of the spin disk filter in the solvent reproduction | regeneration apparatus of a present Example. Explanatory drawing of the control at the time of the solvent filling to the container of the spin disk filter in the solvent reproduction | regeneration apparatus of a present Example. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional configuration diagram of a general spin disk filter.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Dry cleaner main body 11 ... Outer tank 12 ... Drum 13 ... Drain path 14 ... Liquid supply path 15 ... Pump 20 ... Solvent tank 22 ... Three-way valve 23 ... Spin disk filter 231 ... Container 232 ... Shaft body 233 ... Outlet flow path 234 ... Filter section 24 ... Bypass flow path 25 ... Cartridge filter 26 ... Filter drainage path 27 ... Filter drainage valve 28 ... Vacuum distillation apparatus 281 ... Distilling tank 282 ... Cooling section 283 ... Water separator 30 ... Tank distillation path 31 ... tank solvent suction valve 32 ... return flow path 33 ... air vent flow path 34 ... air vent valve 35 ... pressure switch 36 ... control unit

Claims (3)

A filter provided with a filtration unit for capturing particulate dirt in the liquid to be processed in a container for temporarily storing the liquid to be processed, and the dirty liquid to be processed in the container of the filter are collected and distilled. In a processing liquid regeneration device comprising a distillation section,
a) an air vent channel connected to the top of the filter container;
b) an air vent valve provided in the middle of the air vent channel;
c) pressure detecting means disposed in the middle of an air vent channel between the air vent valve and the container;
d) When the liquid to be processed is stored again after the liquid to be processed in the container is discharged for processing by the distillation section, the liquid to be processed is sent into the container with the air vent valve opened. Control means for starting to supply and closing the air vent valve after a predetermined time has elapsed since it was detected that the pressure detecting means reached a predetermined pressure;
A to-be-processed liquid reproduction | regeneration apparatus characterized by including.   2. The treated liquid regenerating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure detecting means is a pressure switch that turns on and off with a predetermined pressure as a threshold value.   The processing liquid regenerating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filter is a spin disk filter in which a plurality of filtering units are provided in a container that temporarily stores the processing liquid.

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