US3600911A

US3600911A - Industrial drycleaning system

Info

Publication number: US3600911A
Application number: US825607A
Authority: US
Inventors: Russell G Mclagan
Original assignee: McGraw Edison Co
Current assignee: McGraw Edison Co
Priority date: 1969-05-19
Filing date: 1969-05-19
Publication date: 1971-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 1988-08-24

Abstract

An industrial drycleaning system is provided for cleaning dirty oil-soaked work in a cleaning cycle which includes a batch wash using a drycleaning solvent such as perchlorethylene followed at least by one or more batch washes and/or a circulating wash through a filter. To conserve on the amount of solvent required succeeding washes are carried out using respectively cleaner solvents drawn from respective storage tanks of the system, and the solvents from these washes are stored for use in next preceding washes of a subsequent washing cycle. However, the initial batch wash, which removes the bulk of dirt and oil, leaves the solvent in such dirty condition it has to be distilled. A novel distillation apparatus of a tube type connected in the system has a capacity which enables the drycleaning solvent for the first batch to be distilled during the remainder of the cleaning cycle and, also, it has a facility for a continuing run through a whole day''s operation without need for pumping off oil and residue.

Description

United States Patent (72] lnventor I G. McLln MfltorrLOlllo [2| Appl. No. 825,607 [22] Filed May 19,1969 [45l Patented AI 24, 1971 [73] Assignee McGraw-Edhnn Company Elgin, Ill.

[54] INDUSTRIAL DRYCLEANING SYSTEM 3 Chllns, 6 Drawing Pb. [52] [1.8. 68/18 C, 68/18 F, 68/27. 202/l68, 202/237. ZOZIDIG. I6 {51] ht.Cl. "006843104, D061" 43/08 [50] Fteldotseareh ..68/l8,DIG. 2; 202/237 [56] Relereleer Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,l63,303 6/1939 Bonotto .i i 202/237 X FOREIGN PATENTS 824,474 l2/l959 Great Britain 68/18 886,l28 l/l962 GreatBritain .i

Primary Examiner-William l Price Assistant Examiner-Philip R. Coe AnomeyGeorge Hi Fritzinger ABSTRACT: An industrial drycleaning system is provided for cleaning dirty oil-soaked work in a cleaning cycle which includes a hatch wash using a drycleaning solvent such as perchlorethylene followed at least by one or more batch washes and/or a circulating wash through a filter. To conserve on the amount of solvent required succeeding washes are carried out using respectively cleaner solvents drawn from respective storage tanks of the system, and the solvents from these washes are stored for use in next preceding washes of a subsequent washing cycle. However, the initial batch wash, which removes the bulk of dirt and oil, leaves the solvent in such dirty condition it has to be distilled. A novel distillation apparatus of a tube type connected in the system has a capaclty which enables the drycleaning solvent for the first batch to be distilled during the remainder of the cleaning cycle and, also, it has a facility for a continuing run through a whole day's operation without need for pumping off oil and residue PATENTED AUB24 1971 saw 1 or 5 R O T N E V m RUSSELL G. McLAGAN AGENT PATENTED AUB24 1971 SHEET 2 OF 5 INVENTOR RUSSELL Mc LAG AN 87 BY I AGENT PAIENIEnwmmn 3,600.91 1

SHEET 3 BF 5 FIG. 3

INVENTOR RUSSELL G. M6 LAGAN AGE NT PATENIEB M1824 m1 SHEU t U? 5 0% ON Ob INVENTOR RUSSELL G McLAGAN AGENT PAT ENIEn Auc24 Ian 1 500 91 1 sum 5 OF 5 AGENT INVENTOR llllllal'll.

.rilll .i--- 2- FIG.6

Q E G INDUSTRIAL DRYCLEANING SYSTEM Commercial drycleaning of garments such as suits, dresses, drapes. sweaters, etc., is distinguished from industrial drycleaning in that it does not require an initial batch wash but is carried out simply by a circulating wash in a drycleaning solvent through a filter. The filters are usually drained into a pot cooker once a day and the solvent distilled therefrom.

Industrial drycleaning units handle work uniforms for mechanics and factory workers, cleaning rags, etc. These are rental items which become heavily soiled with grease, oil and dirt. If such dirty oil-soaked work is first subjected to a circulating wash through a filter, as in commercial drycleaning procedures, the filters would soon become clogged. It is therefore necessary that the load of work first be given a batch wash to remove the bulk of the grease, oil and dirt. The dirty solvent resulting from this first batch wash has to be distilled. When the load of work is exceptionally dirty it is necessary to run it through a second batch wash using a semiclean solvent usually retrieved from a filter run. The solvent from this second batch wash need not however be distilled since it is usually sufficiently clean to be stored and used in a first batch wash for a subsequent load of work.

After such first and possibly second batch wash the load of work is subjected to a commercial drycleaning cycle comprising a batch wash starting with distilled clean solvent or a circulating wash run through a filter. The solvent resulting from such final batch wash is semiclean and suitable for subsequent circulating filter runs.

A complete washing cycle of an industrial drycleaning machine comprises therefore a first batch wash to remove the bulk of the grease, oil and dirt followed by at least another batch wash and/or a circulating wash through a filter, the number of washing steps to which the work is subjected depending upon its initial condition.

An object of my invention is to provide an industrial drycleaning system having a facility for efficiently cleaning industrial work through varied cleaning stages depending upon the condition of the work to be cleaned.

Another object is to provide such drycleaning system in which the drycleaning solvent for the first batch wash is distilled and made available for a final washing step in the same or for a subsequent washing cycle.

Another object is to store drycleaning solvent from a washing step in a washing cycle for use in a preceding step of a subsequent washing cycle so as to save on the cost of reclaiming the drycleaning solvent and to reduce the amount of solvent which must be used.

Another object is to provide such industrial drycleaning system wherein the work is subjected to successive cleaning steps using drycleaning solvents in successively higher degrees of cleanliness gauged to the state of the work to be cleaned whereby to improve the efficiency and economy of the drycleaning system.

As will appear, the present drycleaning system has storage tanks for solvents in clean, semiclean, semidirty and dirty conditions. The solvent in the so-called dirty state is not again used in any cleaning step until it is distilled. In order to reduce the amount of drycleaning solvent which must be stored in the drycleaning system it is necessary that the distillation apparatus have a sufficient capacity to complete a distilling operation during the one or more cleaning steps of the cleaning cycle following the first batch wash. For the sake of economy the distillation apparatus is made capable of distilling as many batches of very dirty solvent as are required in a day's operation without incurring any substantial reduction in distilling efficiency due to accumulated oil and residue.

An important object of the invention is to provide an industrial drycleaning system with a distillation apparatus adapted to meet these minimum requirements as to distillation rate and duration of service. It has been found that in order for a distillation apparatus to meet these requirements it must be of the steam-heated tube type.

It is accordingly a further object of the invention to provide a novel combination of washer-extractor, tube-type distillation apparatus, filter, solvent storage facilities and solvent duct and valve means to achieve a more efficient and economical industrial drycleaning system than has been heretofore available.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.

In the description of my invention reference is had to the ac companying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a wholly diagrammatic view of an industrial drycleaning system according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view partly broken away of a distillation apparatus used in the present drycleaning system showing diagrammatically the connection of this apparatus with other components of the system;

FIG. 3 is a right hand elevation, partly broken away, of the distillation apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the distillation apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a rear fractional elevation of the condenser taken from the line 55 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a fractional side elevational view of the condenser taken from the line 66 of FIG. 2.

Tile present industrial drycleaning system comprises two washer-

extractors

10a and 10b by way of illustrative example. It will be apparent however that a single washer-extractor is sufficient for purposes of the invention. Each washer-extractor may be of the type disclosed and claimed in the pending Miller-Beebe application Ser. No. 740,904, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,089, filed June 28, 1968, and to which reference may be had as to details. Suffice to say for the present application that each washer-extractor has a cylindrical casing 11 provided with a rotatable perforated drum (now shown) and with a front swinging door 12. Each casing has trunnions I3 at the sides joumaled in a U-shaped supporting structure 14 to permit the casing to be tilted upwardly for loading and downwardly for unloading. Each casing has air or vent inlet and outlet ducts l5 and 16 and has fill and drain ducts l7 and I8 for drycleaning solvent.

After the garments have been washed as is herein later described, the drycleaning solvent is drained through the outlet ducts 18 while the drum is rotated at a high speed to extract solvent by centrifugal force. Thereafter, the drum is rotated at a slow speed while hot air is circulated through the garments in a closed system to remove embedded solvent. The closed system includes a cooling chamber 19 where the solvent vapors are condensed and returned via a water separator to a reservoir (both not shown) and a heating chamber 20 wherein the circulating air is heated before it is passed again through the garments. In this circulating operation air is passed into the washer-extractor via the inlet ducts I5 and out therefrom via the outlet ducts 16. The outlet ducts 16 pass through filter 21 for removing lint. A blower 22 maintains the air circulation. While the garments are still tumbled at a low speed residual odors are removed by a freshening operation in which relatively cool air is drawn in from the outside via an inlet duct 23 and valve 24 and vented to the outside via a duct 25. When one of the washer-extractors has its door open for unloading, room air is drawn through the door opening and exhausted via the duct 15, blower 26 and outlet duct 27 to prevent fumes from getting into the room. This venting and freshening operation to remove embedded solvent from the garments is a standard procedure in drycleaning systems and need not be herein further described.

The solvent for the drycleaning system is stored in four different tanks: a tank 28 for distilled clean solvent, a tank 29 for semiclean filtered solvent, a tank 30 for semidirty solvent suitable however for a first batch wash, and a still-feed tank 31 for dirty solvent after a first batch wash. The dirty solvent is fed by a pump 32 into a still 33 according to the invention, and the distilled clean solvent is drained from the still via a pipe 34 into the clean" tank 28. Solvent is pumped selectively from the different tanks into the washer-extractors according to the setting of a tub fill valve 35 and is drained selectively from the washers into the tanks according to the setting of a tub drain valve 36. By way of typical example, for a washer-extractor requiring 180 gallons of solvent for each wash, the capacity of the tank 28 may be 500 gallons; of tank 29, 500 gallons; of tank 30, 200 gallons and of tank 31, 500 gallons. At the time of initial start-up, the tank 28 may contain 300 gallons of solvent,

tanks

29 and 30 may be full containing 500 gallons and 200 gallons respectively, and stillfeed tank 31 may be empty.

In a first batch wash, 180 gallons of solvent are pumped from the tank 30 into a washer-extractor after the same has received a load of work to be washed, via a pump 37, pipe 38 and tube fill valve 35, while the tub drain valve 36 is closed. The washer-extractor is then operated typically for 4 to 5 minutes. The drain valve 36 is then set to drain the dirty solvent from the washer-extractor via a pipe 39 into the still-feed tank 31. The drain valve is kept open typically for 2 minutes during which time the drum of the washer-extractor is driven at a high speed to extract the solvent from the load by centrifugal force. As soon as the solvent reaches the still-feed tank 31 it is immediately begun to be pumped into the still 33 via the pump 32 and pipe 40. Any pumping of solvent into the still in excess of the rate at which the still can handle the same will overflow and return via pipe 41 to the still-feed tank 31, as is later described.

As soon as the dirty first-batch solvent has been extracted and drained from the washer-extractor, I80 gallons of semiclean solvent from the'filter solvent tank 29 is pumped into the washer-extractor via pump 42, pipe 43, filter 44 and tub fill valve 35, the drain valve 36 being again now closed. Again, the washer-extractor is run typically for 4 to 5 minutes after which the semidirty solvent is extracted for 2 minutes and drained via the drain valve 36 and pipe 45 into the tank 30 for storage until it is to be used in the first batch wash of a subsequent wash cycle. The net change in solvent storage at this point is that 180 gallons of solvent has been taken from the filter solvent tank 29 and 180 gallons has been fed into the still-feed tank 31 wherein it is in the progress of being cleaned by the still 33 and returned to the tank 28 originally short of being full by 200 gallons as before described.

The load of work is next subjected to a circulating bath through the filter 44 by passing solvents from the filter solvent tank 29 (still containing approximately 320 gallons) via the pump 42, pipe 43, filter 44 and tub fill valve 35 into the washer-extractor and then back to the tank 29 via the drain valve 36 and pipe 46. The washer-extractor is operated typically for 7 t 8 minutes while the solvent is being so circulated after which the fill valve 35 is closed, and the solvent is extracted from the load and drained for 2 to 3 minutes back into the tank 29. There is no net change in solvent storage by this recirculating run and further the solvent is returned in about the same state of cleanliness by reason of it being filtered during the run.

The load of work may then be subjected to a final batch wash using I80 gallons of clean solvent from the tank 28 which is now in the process of receiving this same quantity of solvent from the still 33, the clean solvent being pumped into the washer-extractor via the pump 47, pipe 48 and fill valve 35 while the drain valve 36 is closed. After running the washerextractor for 4 to minutes, the solvent-which is still semiclean in view of the work having gone through several preceding washing steps-is extracted and drained into the filter solvent tank 29 via the drain valve 36 and pipe 46. This return of 180 gallons solvent to the tank 29 restores the solvent storage to its starting condition, leaving the still-feed tank 31 again empty assuming the still has already completed the distillation of the solvent from the first batch.

Other washing procedures may be adopted according to the state of dirtiness of the load of work to be cleaned as is herein later described, but before describing such other procedures it is advisable to describe the details of construction and the operation of the still 33 which makes possible the recovery of all the solvent from the first batch wash of each washing cycle while the remainder of the washing cycle is being completed.

The still 33 is of a steam-heated vertical tube type adapted to have a sufficient capacity and a running duration to meet the needs of the present system. This still as shown in FIGS. 2 to 7 comprises a cylindrical steam chest 49 having a steam inlet tube 50 at the top and an outlet tube 51 at the bottom. The steam chest contains a multiplicity of spaced vertical tubes 52 which connect to a manifold 53 at the bottom of the chest. The manifold 53 has an inlet tube 54 for solvent to be cleaned. This inlet tube 54 is connected, as diagrammatically shown, to the tank 31 via the pipe 40 and pump 32. The tank 31 has a float valve 55 which controls the still-feed pump 32. The pump 32 feeds the solvent via the manifold 53 upwardly into the distillation tubes 52 heated by the surrounding steam. The height of the columns of solvent in the distillation tubes is determined by overflow tubes running from the pipe 40 back to the tank 31. For example, there may be lower and

upper overflow valves

56 and 57 and a still higher overflow 58 without a valve control for returning solvent to the tank 31 via the pipe 41. If the lower valve 56 is open the level is set by it; if the valve 56 is closed and the valve 57 is open the level is set by the latter; and if both

valves

56 and 57 are closed the level is set by the overflow 58. Typically, the valve 56 is closed and the valve 57 is open to set the level of the solvent in the distillation tubes at approximately midway the height of the steam chest.

The multitude of distillation tubes 52 provide a high ratio of heated surface to volume of solvent to provide a high rate of distillation. The vapors together with some mixture of liquid particles pass upwardly through the tubes 52 into a vapor box 60 about one-half portion of which extends off to one side of the stem chest 49. A baffle plate 61 overlies the tubes about midway the height of the vapor box and terminates about onehalf the distance across the side extension of the vapor box in a downwardly inclined deflector 610. This baffle plate serves the purpose of entrapping the liquid particles in the space below the baffle plate while leaving the vapor to pass around the deflector 61 into the upper part of the vapor box. The entrapped liquid particles fall to the bottom of the side extension of the vapor box into a sump 62 and are returned by a pair of downcomer tubes 63 to the manifold 53 at the bottom of the steam chest. The vapor is however passed through a side duct 64 from the upper part of the vapor box into the upper part of a condenser box 65.

The upper part of the condenser box 65 receiving the vapor is an open space, but the major and lower part of the condenser box is filled with a series of tube bundles of which there are five

bundles

66, 67, 68, 69 and 70 in a row at an intermediate level and three

bundles

71, 72 and 73 of which two marked 71 and 72 are directly below the

bundles

66 and 67 nearest the vapor box (FIGS. 21 and S) and the third bundle 73 is farthest from the vapor box directly below the bundle 66. In the space between the

lower bundles

72 and 73 is a collector chamber 74 leading out via a pipe 75 through a water separator 76 and pipe 34 to the tank 28.

Each bundle of tubes in the condenser box comprises eight tube loops leading back and forth parallel to each other through the width of the condenser box. These eight loops are grouped in spaced relationship and connected as by soldering to a set of spaced parallel cooling fins 78 each of a rectangular shape as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Each tube bundle has a tube inlet 79 and a tube outlet 80 (FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 6). The tube inlets 79 are all connected to a manifold 81, and the tube outlets 80 are all connected to another manifold 82. Cold water is fed via tube 83 into manifold 81 and is received after passing through the tube bundles in manifold 82 from where it passes via tube 84 back to the source or to any suitable drain. The vapor received from the vapor box passes between the fins 78 and is cooled by the circulating cooling water causing the vapor to condense and drain from the condenser box via the pipe 75. Since the drycleaning solvent for the filter run usually contains some water soap solution it is necessary to remove water from the distilled solvent by the water separator unit 76. This is a unit of standard construction having an outlet pipe 85 for the water being removed, and need not be herein described.

As the distillation proceeds, there accumulates a mixture of solvent and oil in the manifold 53 and tubes 52 and also there accumulates a heavy residue in the manifold. This oil solvent mixture and residue is pumped off as necessary via an outlet pipe 85, valve 86 and pump 87 to a pot-type still 88 wherein the residual solvent is distilled off. This distilled solvent goes through a water separator (not shown) and may be returned via a pipe 89 to the clean solvent tank 28 (H0. 1), or optionally it may be returned to the still-feed tank 31. As shown in FIG. 1, the pot still 88 is also connected to receive the solvent sludge mixture from the filter 44 when the latter is drained for cleaning.

The four steps of the cleaning cycle above-described are carried out in about thirty minutes, considering the time required after each cleaning step for draining the tub and for extracting the embedded solvent from the load to be from 2 to 3 minutes. When drying is carried out in the same washer-extractor, the drying-reclaiming and final freshening operations hereinbefore described will require approximately another 20 minutes. However, when two washer-extractors are provided, the second unit is loaded as soon as the washing cycle is completed in the first unit. The solvent supply must therefore be ready for the second load as soon as the washing cycle is completed in the first unit. The still 33 has a capacity of 900 gallons per hour. Thus, the 180 gallons from the first batch wash is put back into the system (in the tank 28) within about 12 minutes. This is well within the time required to complete the remaining steps of the usual ,washing cycle. Thus, the supply of solvent required for the drycleaning system is kept at a low amount to achieve economy of operation and to reduce the required size of the storage facilities.

A further advantage of the present tube type still is that it has the ability to handle high concentrations of oil in the solvent without reducing substantially the distilling rate (due to the large heated surface area relative to the volume of solvent in the distillation tubes 52). For example, the present still will handle as many as 15 work loadsa full days operation-as against a single load when a pot still is used before it is necessary to stop the still-feed pump 32 and pump the oil mixture and residue from the tubes 52 and manifold 53, all of which may however be done while the still remains in operation. A temperature guage 96 connected to one of the downcomer tubes 63 near the top thereof (FIG. 3) provides an indication when the contents of the still should be pumped over to the pot still. The boiling point of perchlorethylene is 250 F., but this temperature rises as oil accumulates. Typically, the oil mixture content of the still should be pumped over to the pot still when the temperature reaches 255 to 256 F.

A washing cycle for a load of work in a semidirty condition would not require solvent to be taken from the tank 30. Instead, the first batch wash would draw 180 gallons of clean solvent from the tank 28 via the pump 47, pipe 48 and fill valve 35. After a batch run for 5 minutes the washer-entractor is drained and extracted for 2 minutes into the still-feed tank 31 via the drain valve 36 and pipe 39. Then the load of work is subjected to a recirculating filtered wash by drawing solvent from the tank 29 via pump 42, pipe 43, filter 44, fill valve 35, washer-extractor, drain valve 36 and pipe 46 back to the tank 29. This recirculating run is carried out for about 8 minutes after which the pump 42 is stopped, the fill valve is closed, and the work is extracted for about 3 minutes with continuing drainage back into the tank 29. This complete cycle takes about l8 minutes, leaving sufficient time for the still 33 to distill the solvent from the first batch wash by the time the wash cycle is completed.

Another washing cycle for a load of work in a semidirty con dition comprises a first batch wash using I80 gallons of solvent from the tank 30. After a 5-minute batch wash the load of work is extracted for 2 minutes with drainage into the stillfeed tank 31. There is then pumped 180 gallons of solvent from the tank 28 for another S-minute batch wash. After this batch wash the load of work is extracted for about 3 minutes with drainage of solvent back into the tank 30. This wash cycle requires approximately 15 minutes, leaving enough time for the still 33 to distill the solvent from the first batch wash when another wash cycle is started, it being assumed that if necessary the still may continue to run for a short interval after pumping of solvent from the tank 28 is started for the first batch wash of the next wash cycle.

in one sidewall of the manifold 53 is a door openable by removing two hand nuts 91 to provide access for cleaning out any solid residue that may accumulate as after a week's operation. Also, the vapor box 60 has a cover plate 92 directly above the steam chest 49 which is openable by removing a series of bolts 93. Directly below this cover plate the baffle 61 has a door 94 which is openable by removing a series of bolts 95, The removal of the cover plate and door provides access to the distillation tubes 52 for cleaning purposes.

1 claim:

1. In an industrial drycleaning system for drycleaning dirty, oily work in a washing cycle including a first batch wash and at least another batch wash or a circulating filter wash: the combination of a washer-extractor having inlet and outlet openings for drycleaning solvent, a distillation apparatus, means for feeding drycleaning solvent to said washer-extractor for a first batch wash of the work, means for extracting the dirty solvent from said work and feeding the solvent to said distillation apparatus, means operative after extraction of said dirty solvent for feeding solvent to said washer-extractor for another wash of said work, means for thereupon extracting the solvent from said work, said distillation apparatus being of a tube-type adapted for handling dirty solvents having a high concentration of oil and for completing a distillation operation within said washing cycle, said distillation apparatus comprising a steam chamber having therein multiple vertical tubes for drycleaning solvent, a manifold connected to the bottom of said tubes for receiving the dirty solvent, a vapor box connected to the upper ends of said tubes, a downcomer tube for returning undistilled solvent and oil from said vapor box to said manifold, a condenser for condensing the vapor from said vapor box, and means for storing the distilled solvent for a subsequent washing cycle, said system including first, second, third and fourth tanks respectively for storing clean, semiclean, semidirty and dirty drycleaning solvents, a filter, means for pumping semidirty solvent from said third tank into said washer-extractor for a first batch wash and for thereupon draining the dirty solvent from said batch into said fourth tank for cleaning by said distillation apparatus and storage in said first tank, means for pumping semiclean solvent from said second tank into said washer extractor for a second batch wash and for thereupon draining the solvent from said batch into said third tank, means for circulating solvent from said second tank through said washer-entractor via said filter and for returning the solvent to said second tank, and means for thereupon pumping clean solvent from said first tank to said washer-entractor for a final batch wash and for then draining the solvent from said batch to said second tank,

2. In an industrial drycleaning apparatus for drycleaning dirty, oily work in a washing cycle including a first batch wash and at least another batch wash and/or a circulating wash through a filter: the combination of a washer-extractor having inlet and outlet openings; first, second, third and fourth tanks for storing respectively clean, semiclean, semidirty and dirty drycleaning solvents; means for feeding semidirty solvent from said third tank to said washer-extractor for a first batch wash of the work and for then feeding the dirty solvent into said fourth tank, a distillation apparatus for distilling dirty drycleaning solvent from said fourth tank and then storing the distilled clean solvent in said first tank; means for feeding semiclean solvent from said second tank to said washer-entractor for a second batch wash of the work and for then storing the solvent in said third tank; and means for feeding clean solvent from said first tank to said washer-extractor for a third batch wash of the work and for then storing the solvent in said second tank, wherein said distillation apparatus is of a high capacity type adapted for handling dirty solvents with high concentratiom of oil and for completing a distillation operation within a complete washing cycle, said distillation apparatus comprising a steam chamber having therein multiple vertical tubes for drycleaning solvent, a manifold connected to the bottom ends of said tubes for receiving dirty solvent from said fourth tank, a vapor box connected to the upper ends of

Claims

1. In an industrial drycleaning system for drycleaning dirty, oily work in a washing cycle including a first batch wash and at least another batch wash or a circulating filter wash: the combination of a washer-extractor having inlet and outlet openings for drycleaning solvent, a distillation apparatus, means for feeding drycleaning solvent to said washer-extractor for a first batch wash of the work, means for extracting the dirty solvent from said work and feeding the solvent to said distillation apparatus, means operative after extraction of said dirty solvent for feeding solvent to said washer-extractor for another wash of said work, means for thereupon extracting the solvent from said work, said distillation apparatus being of a tube-type adapted for handling dirty solvents having a high concentration of oil and for completing a distillation operation within said washing cycle, said distillation apparatus comprising a steam chamber having therein multiple vertical tubes for drycleaning solvent, a manifold connected to the bottom of said tubes for receiving the dirty solvent, a vapor box connected to the upper ends of said tubes, a downcomer tube for returning undistilled solvent and oil from said vapor box to said manifold, a condenser for condensing the vapor from said vapor box, and means for storing the distilled solvent for a subsequent washing cycle, said system including first, second, third and fourth tanks respectively for storing clean, semiclean, semidirty and dirty drycleaning solvents, a filter, means for pumping semidirty solvent from said third tank into said washer-extractor for a first batch wash and for thereupon draining the dirty solvent from said batch into said fourth tank for cleaning by said distillation apparatus and storage in said first tank, means for pumping semiclean solvent from said second tank into said washer extractor for a second batch wash and for thereupon draining the solvent from said batch into said third tank, means for circulating solvent from said second tank through said washerentractor via said filter and for returning the solvent to said second tank, and means for thereupon pumping clean solvent from said first tank to said washer-entractor for a final batch wash and for then draining the solvent from said batch to said second tank.

2. In an industrial drycleaning apparatus for drycleaning dirty, oily work in a washing cycle including a first batch wash and at least another batch wash and/or a circulating wash through a filter: the combination of a washer-extractor having inlet and outlet openings; first, second, third and fourth tanks for storing respectively clean, semiclean, semidirty and dirty drycleaning solvents; means for feeding semidirty solvent from said third tank to said washer-extractor for a first batch wash of the work and for then feeding the dirty solvent into said fourth tank, a distillation apparatus for distilling dirty drycleaning solvent from said fourth tank and then storing the distilled clean solvent in said first tank; means for feeding semiclean solvent from said second tank to said washer-entractor for a second batch wash of the work and for then storing the solvent in said third tank; and means for feeding clean solvent from said first tank to said washer-extractor for a third batch wash of the work and for then storing the solvent in said second tank, wherein said distillation apparatus is of a high capacity type adapted for handling dirty solvents with high Concentrations of oil and for completing a distillation operation within a complete washing cycle, said distillation apparatus comprising a steam chamber having therein multiple vertical tubes for drycleaning solvent, a manifold connected to the bottom ends of said tubes for receiving dirty solvent from said fourth tank, a vapor box connected to the upper ends of said tubes, a downcomer tube for returning undistilled solvent and oil from said vapor box to said manifold, a condenser for condensing vapor from said vapor box, and means including a water separator for returning condensed solvent from said condenser to said first tank.

3. The industrial drycleaning apparatus set forth in claim 2 including means operative after said second batch wash for circulating solvent from said second tank through said washer-extractor and returning the solvent to the second tank.