Carbon dioxide dry cleaning system
AssigneeMVE, Inc.
InventorsA. Duane Preston, Jon R. Turner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A carbon dioxide dry cleaning system features a pair of liquid carbon dioxide storage tanks in communication with a compressor. A sealed cleaning chamber contains the objects being dry cleaned. By selectively pressurizing the storage tanks with the compressor, liquid carbon dioxide is made to flow to the cleaning chamber through cleaning nozzles so as to provide agitation of the objects being dry cleaned. Liquid carbon dioxide displaced from the cleaning chamber returns to the storage tanks. A still is disposed within one of the storage tanks and receives soiled liquid carbon dioxide as it is returned from the chamber. The pressure in the storage tank causes the soiled liquid carbon dioxide in the still to boil off. The gas is communicated to a third tank.
Claims31
A method for circulating a liquid solvent between a cleaning chamber and a pair of storage tanks initially containing said solvent comprising the steps of:
- a) pressurizing a first one of said tanks;
- b) connecting said first tank to said chamber to substantially fill said chamber with solvent;
- c) pressurizing a second one of said tanks while depressurizing said first tank;
- and
- d) connecting both of said tanks to said chamber, the pressure in said second tank driving additional solvent into said chamber, excess solvent in said chamber flowing back to said first tank until said first tank is substantially full and said second tank is substantially empty.
A method for dry cleaning objects placed in a cleaning chamber that is supplied with solvent from a pair of storage tanks initially containing said solvent comprising the steps of:
- a) pressurizing a first one of said tanks;
- b) connecting said first tank to said chamber so that said chamber is substantially filled with solvent;
- c) pressurizing a second one of said tanks while depressurizing said first tank;
- and
- d) connecting said second tank to nozzles in communication with said chamber, the pressure in said second tank driving additional solvent through said nozzles and into said chamber to agitate said objects contained therein, excess solvent in said chamber flowing back to said first tank until said first tank is substantially full and said second tank is substantially empty.
A system for delivering liquid solvent to a cleaning chamber comprising:
- a) first and second storage tanks which initially contain a supply of said solvent;
- b) a compressor;
- c) means for selectively communicating said tanks with said chamber and said compressor with said tanks;
- d) said compressor:
- i) initially pressurizing said first tank to deliver solvent to said cleaning chamber;
- ii) subsequently pressurizing said second tank while depressurizing said first tank to deliver additional solvent to said chamber and to return excess solvent in said chamber to said first tank.
A system for cleaning objects with solvent comprising:
- a) a pair of storage tanks initially containing said solvent;
- b) a compressor in circuit with the storage tanks to alternately pressurize one of the tanks;
- and
- c) a cleaning chamber containing said objects and communicating with said storage tanks so that solvent is transferred from the pressurized one of said storage tanks to said chamber while excess solvent is transferred to the other one of said tanks.
A system for cleaning objects with solvent comprising:
- a) a pressurized storage tank (118) containing said solvent with a head space thereabove;
- b) a cleaning chamber (132) containing said objects;
- c) means for selectively communicating the head space of the storage tank with the chamber so that solvent gas is transferred to the chamber;
- and
- d) a compressor (114) selectively in circuit between said cleaning chamber and the head space of said storage tank, said compressor further pressurizing said storage tank with solvent gas from said chamber so that liquid solvent flows to said cleaning chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.