System for the control of a carbon dioxide cleaning apparatus

A carbon dioxide cleaning apparatus, said apparatus comprising a wash vessel, a working vessel containing a carbon dioxide cleaning medium and operatively associated with said wash vessel;

• a pump operatively associated with said wash vessel;
• a condenser connected to said working vessel;
• a still operatively associated with said working vessel, a compressor operatively associated with said wash vessel, and a pressure release valve operatively associated with said working vessel;
• said apparatus further comprising
• (a) means for initiating a cleaning cycle, said cleaning cycle comprising the steps of (i) filling said wash vessel with carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said working vessel, (ii) washing articles to be cleaned in said wash vessel, and (iii) draining said carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said work vessel;
• and
• (b) means for initiating a resting cycle, said resting cycle comprising the steps of placing said condenser, said pump, and said still in fluid communication with said working vessel and not said wash vessel so that all carbon dioxide cleaning medium in said system is held at a low energy state and ventable through said pressure release valve.

A method of cooling a carbon dioxide dry cleaning apparatus between wash cycles or during other periods of inactivity, said apparatus including a wash vessel and a working vessel operatively associated with said wash vessel;

• said method comprising the steps of:
• (a) transferring carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said wash vessel to said working vessel after a wash cycle so that said working vessel contains liquid a cleaning medium comprising carbon dioxide;
• (b) opening said wash vessel to remove articles that have been cleaned therefrom;
• then
• (c) closing and sealing said wash vessel;
• and then
• (d) transferring a portion of said liquid carbon dioxide from said working vessel to said wash vessel as a gas, so that the pressure in said working vessel decreases and said cleaning medium in said working vessel is cooled.

A method of cooling a carbon dioxide dry cleaning apparatus during a wash cycle, said apparatus including a wash vessel, a working vessel operatively associated with said wash vessel, and a condenser operatively associated with said wash vessel and said working vessel;

• said method comprising the steps of:
• (a) transferring carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said working vessel to said wash vessel so that said wash tank contains a liquid cleaning medium comprising carbon dioxide;
• (b) initiating a cleaning cycle in said wash vessel;
• and then
• (c) transferring a portion of said carbon dioxide from said wash vessel to said condenser as a gas during said cleaning cycle, so that the pressure in said wash vessel decreases and said cleaning medium in said working tank is cooled.