JPH0647039B2 - Dry cleaner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dry cleaner effective for solvent cooling and solvent recovery.

(Prior Art) A conventional dry cleaning process will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the clothes 2 are put in through the door 1 and the door 1
When is closed and the operation is started, the steps generally proceed in the following order.

． Solvent 4 (solvent refers to R113, perchlorethylene, 1.1.1-trichloroethane, etc.) from solvent tank 3 is pumped through valve 5 with pump 6, and from path consisting of valve 7 and filter 8 or from valve 9. The required amount of the solvent 4 is fed into the processing tank 10 by the above-mentioned route.

． When the processing drum 11 is slowly rotated, the clothing is drum 1
1 is sequentially lifted and dropped by the crosspiece 11 'provided on the inner wall of the No. 1 to receive the effect of tap washing, and the solvent 4 is treated with the treatment tank 10, the button trap 12, the valve 13,
The garment 2 is washed by circulating it through a circuit composed of the pump 6, the valve 7, the filter 8 and the valve 9.

． After the cleaning is completed, the solvent used for cleaning is the treatment tank 10,
Button trap 12, valve 13, pump 6, valve 1
The liquid is discharged to the distiller 15 through the route of No. 4. Subsequently, the processing drum 11 rotates at a high speed to centrifuge the solvent 4 in the garment 2 and drain the same.

． Then, repeat the steps in order to rinse the clothes.

． When the rinsing process is completed, the solution is drained to the solvent tank 3 this time through the processing tank 10, the button trap 12, the valve 13, and the valve 5, and then the processing drum 11 rotates at a high speed to remove the solvent 4 in the clothing 2. Centrifuge, and also solvent tank 3
Drain into.

． When the cleaning process is completed as described above, the processing drum 11 is again used.
Slowly turn the fan 16, air cooler (condenser) 1
7. A recovery air duct 19 containing an air heater (heater) 18 and the treatment tank 10 is oriented in the direction of an arrow 20 by a thermostat (not shown) to circulate air while controlling the optimum temperature according to the material of the clothing. Dry 2. The solvent gas evaporated from the clothes 2 is condensed by the air cooler 17, enters the water separator 22 through the recovery path 21, and enters the clean tank 24 through the solvent pipe 23.

． When the drying is completed, the dampers 25 and 26 open as shown by the broken line, fresh air (outside air) is taken in from the damper 25, and the uncondensed solvent gas that cannot be recovered by the air cooler 17 is exhausted from the damper 26 to remove the solvent in the clothing 2. Deodorize the odor.

． The solvent 4 that has entered the distiller 15 in the process of the above item evaporates and is condensed and recovered by the condenser 27, enters the clean tank 24 through the water separator 22 and the solvent pipe 23, and enters the solvent tank 3 from the partition plate 28 with overflow. Return to. The water separated by the water separator 22 is discharged to the outside of the system by the water pipe 29. Water flows through the cooling water pipe 31, and the liquid temperature in the tank is cooled by the cooling coils 32 and 32 '.

The clothes to be dry-cleaned are diversified and fashionability is emphasized, and there are various materials such as materials and dyeing. And when these clothes are washed with a high temperature solvent, the following problems occur.

． Since the dissolution characteristics are temperature-dependent, the frequency of occurrence of no color (uneven color fading) with respect to dyeing increases.

． Less water retention and more clothing.

． Plastic materials are more likely to melt and crack.

In the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the condenser 27 is water-cooled, and the gas evaporated in the distiller 15 is condensed and liquefied. On the other hand, in the drying step, the air cooler 17 is water-cooled to condense and liquefy the solvent evaporated from the clothing. Since the cooling temperature depends on the water temperature in each case, there is seasonality, and the solvent temperature in summer or the like becomes a high temperature of 40 ° C. or higher, causing the above-mentioned problems.

Further, as cooling means, cooling coils 32 and 32 'are attached to the tank, and chiller water is supplied to lower the cooling water temperature. However, this method is costly, There was an insufficient side.

On the other hand, the solvent temperature at the time of cleaning rises by 5 to 10 ° C. with respect to the temperature in the solvent tank 3. The cause is that the temperature of the treatment tank 10 which has been raised during the drying is lowered to about 50 ° C. by the next step, and when cleaning is started in the next step, the specific heat of the solvent is 0.2.
Since it is about kcal / kg ° C, due to residual sensible heat in the treatment tank,
Because the temperature is easily raised. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the sensible heat of the device and the liquid temperature of the solvent tank 3.
However, the conventional device has insufficient measures as described above.

Statistically looking at clothing accidents, discoloration and shrinkage accounted for about 32%, and it is empirically or experimentally known that one of the factors is that the temperature of the solvent solution during washing has a large effect. However, a dry cleaner having a function of controlling the temperature of the solvent liquid within a certain range has not hitherto appeared in the market.

Therefore, washing while maintaining the temperature of the solvent during washing within a certain temperature range depending on the material of clothing prevents clothing accidents before they occur and, in the event of an accident, an effective means for investigating the cause. However, even if the clothing accident was caused by the liquid temperature, there was a problem that the cause could not be specified by the cleaning company or the clothing manufacturer.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The present invention is directed to uneven color fading in a conventional dry cleaner,
It is intended to solve problems such as wearing clothes and cracks.

(Means for Solving Problems) For this reason, the present invention provides a treatment tank for connecting a solvent circulation circuit and a dry air circulation circuit to wash clothes with a solvent and dry the clothes after drying with dry air. In the dry cleaner, the cooler is provided in the solvent circulation circuit below the treatment tank, the pump is provided downstream of the cooler, and the dry air circulation circuit is provided so as to reach the upper portion of the treatment tank through the cooler. And the recovery path for the solvent condensed by the cooler is connected to a solvent tank,
This is a means for solving the problem.

(Action) The solvent is circulated in the solvent circulation circuit to wash the clothes in the processing tank, and the solvent gas evaporated from the clothes in the processing tank is condensed by the cooler and collected in the solvent tank in the collection path. Next, after draining the solvent, dry air is circulated in a circulation circuit that goes through the cooler to the upper part of the processing tank to dry the clothes, and the solvent gas having a certain concentration or higher is condensed and collected by the cooler.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the cooler is provided in the circulation circuit of the solvent below the processing tank, it is possible to cool the solvent being washed to prevent a clothing accident, and to pump the downstream of the cooler in the circulation circuit. By providing the above, the solvent entering the pump is cooled by the same cooler, and cavitation can be prevented from occurring. Further, since the heavy gas generated during drying is efficiently cooled, condensed and collected in the solvent tank, the fan heater can be downsized and the running cost can be reduced. Further, since the cooler is used for cooling the solvent and the dry air, the structure can be simplified and the manufacturing cost of the machine can be reduced.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of an essential layout of a dry cleaner of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a button trap 12 is provided in the liquid circulation circuit.
a is arranged in the lower part of the processing tank 10, and an evaporator (hereinafter referred to as a cooler) 17a of a refrigerator is arranged beside or in the lower part thereof. Further, a cooling jacket 40 is provided on the outer wall of the processing tank 10. In the liquid absorption step, the valves 13 and 14 are closed first, and the valve 5 and
Open 7 (or 9). When the pump 6 is turned on, the liquid is absorbed from the solvent tank 3, the solvent 4 flows into the processing tank 10, and the pump 6 is stopped when the liquid amount reaches a specified amount by a liquid level control switch (not shown). Prior to the liquid absorption step, cooling water is passed through the cooling jacket 40 of the treatment tank to allow the treatment tank 10 to be cooled.
To cool.

In the next cleaning step, when the valves 5 and 14 are closed, the flow of the solvent is the processing tank 10, the button trap 12a, and the cooler 17.
a, the valve 13, the pump 6, and the valve 9 (or the valve 7 and the filter 8) are circulated to continue the cleaning, but at this time, the solvent 4 is cooled by the cooler 17a, so that the solvent rises due to the sensible heat of the device during cleaning. While keeping the temperature low and eliminating problems with the clothing 2, a solvent with a high vapor pressure such as R113 also produces bubbles due to temperature rise, and cavitation reduces the circulation flow rate of the pump 6 and reduces the cleaning performance. Such a defect will also disappear. The solvent temperature is
A thermostat (not shown) incorporated in the solvent circulation circuit adjusts the temperature to the optimum temperature according to the clothing material.

In the drainage process and the liquid removal process, the solvent may be returned to the tank 3 or the distiller 15.

In the drying process, the fan 16a rotates, the dampers 25 and 26 are in the solid line state, and the air flow is the fan 16a and the air heater 18.
a, into the processing tank 10 through the damper 26a, come into contact with the clothing 2, and flow like an air stream 20a. Button trap 12
The foreign matter is captured by a and cooled by the cooler 17a. The solvent gas having a certain concentration or more is condensed and liquefied by the cooler 17a. The liquefied liquid flows into the clean tank 24 through the valve 31a. Although there is condensed water even during drying, since the amount is small, there is no particular problem even if it is put directly into the clean tank 24. Of course, since water 30 is stored in the clean tank 24, it is necessary to discharge it regularly. The water separator 22 may be laid out in the lower part so that the solvent and water at the time of drying may be guided to the water separator 22. In the figure, 11 is a processing drum, 11 'is a crosspiece, 19a is a recovery air duct, and 21a.
Is a recovery path, 23 is a solvent pipe, 25a is a damper, 27 is a condenser, 28 is a partition plate with overflow, and 29 is a water pipe.

Now, prior to the cleaning step, the jacket 4 on the outer wall of the processing tank 10
By passing cooling water through 0 to remove the sensible heat of the treatment tank 10 that has been heated in the drying process, the rise in the solvent temperature in the cleaning process can be suppressed. Further, by providing the cooler 17a in the solvent circulation circuit, it is possible to efficiently perform the cooling of the solvent which is in contact with the processing tank 10 and whose temperature has been raised in the cleaning step.

When the washing process is completed and the drying process is completed, the circulation of the solvent is stopped, and an air flow is generated by the rotation of the drying fan 16a. The solvent gas that circulates and evaporates from the clothes 2 in the processing tank 10 is cooled by the cooler 1.
It is condensed and recovered at 7a. That is, one cooler 17a
The solvent is cooled and the solvent is recovered.

In an actual machine, the cooler 17a needs to be located in the lower part of the processing tank 10 due to solvent cooling, and the specific gravity of the solvent gas evaporated during drying reaches 4 to 5 times that of air, so the lower part has a high concentration and the difference in concentration In the case of the condensation recovery method of recovering, efficient condensation recovery is possible. Further, since the high-concentration gas is collected in the lower part, the capacity of the solvent gas circulating fan 16a can be reduced, which contributes to energy saving.

In addition, in order to efficiently collect in the lower part of the processing tank 10, the processing tank 1
The solvent gas concentration inside 0 is small. In the case of a solvent type (for example, Freon R113 or the like), it is possible to omit deodorization or the like in the next step of drying. Also, by cooling the solvent, R11
In the case of a solvent with a low boiling point and a high vapor pressure such as 3,
It is possible to improve the deterioration of the capacity caused by cavitation in the pump due to the temperature rise.

(Effects of the Invention) The present invention is configured as described above in detail, and the cost is reduced because the solvent is cooled during cleaning and the solvent gas is concentrated during drying by one cooler. You can In addition, by arranging a cooler in the solvent circulation system, the solvent can be cooled efficiently during circulation, cleaning at a constant temperature can be easily controlled, and the solvent can be cooled and led to the pump.
It is possible to prevent the pump capacity from decreasing due to cavitation.
Therefore, clothing accidents due to the temperature of the solvent liquid can be prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a dry cleaner showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a system diagram of a conventional dry cleaner. Explanation of the main parts of the figure 2 …… Clothes 3 …… Solvent tank 4 …… Solvent 6 …… Pump 10 …… Treatment tank 12a …… Button trap 16a …… Fan 17a …… Cooler 18a …… Heater 19a …… Recovery air duct 21a …… Collection route 25a.26a …… Damper

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A dry cleaner having a treatment tank for connecting a solvent circulation circuit and a dry air circulation circuit to wash clothes with a solvent and dry the clothes after washing with dry air. A cooler is provided in the solvent circulation circuit, and a pump is provided downstream of the cooler, and the dry air circulation circuit is provided so as to reach the upper portion of the processing tank through the cooler, and the solvent condensed by the cooler is provided. A dry cleaner characterized in that the recovery path is connected to a solvent tank.