Carbon dioxide cleaning apparatus with rotating basket and external drive

Abstract

A cleaning apparatus adapted for cleaning fabrics, garments and the like with a carbon dioxide cleaning medium comprises a wash vessel having a wall portion; a rotating basket positioned in the wash vessel; a drive shaft penetrating the wash vessel wall portion, the shaft operatively associated with the rotating basket; a double mechanical seal connected to the wall portion with the drive shaft passing therethrough; a seal liquid reservoir; a seal liquid inlet line connected to the seal liquid reservoir and the double mechanical seal and configured to supply seal liquid to the double mechanical seal; and a pump, compressed gas line, or other pressure supply means operatively associated with the seal liquid reservoir for maintaining the pressure of seal liquid in the double mechanical seal sufficient to seal the rotating shaft when the wash vessel contains a liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium from escape of cleaning medium around the rotating shaft. Means such as a pump operatively associated with inlet and outlet lines are provided for circulating liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium through the wash vessel during cleaning of articles therein. A motor or other drive means is operatively associated with the drive shaft for rotating the rotating basket during cleaning of articles therein. The seal liquid is preferably selected to be compatible with (e.g., soluble in) the cleaning medium.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.