Method of solvent spray cleaning in an enclosed chamber

• US 4,561,903 A
• Filed: 11/16/1984
• Issued: 12/31/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Graymills Corporation
• Original Assignee: Trigent, Inc.
• Inventors: Blaul, Ronald L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caroff, Marc L.
• Application Number:
  US06/672,145
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 134/10, 134/56 R, 134/102, 134/104, 134/110, 134/111, 134/200, 134/18, 134/113, 55/385 R, 98/115.3
• US Class Current: 134/10
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 15/026 Boxes for removal of dirt, e.g. for cleaning brakes, glove- boxes
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/02 Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays

Abstract

High pressure washing method utilizing a hand directed spray nozzle for cleaning parts, by eye through a viewing window, and an enclosing chamber containing the parts in a manner whereby the zone for solvent spray by the nozzle is closely confined within the enclosure so as not to expose the operator or the outside environment to the liquid runoff of the solvent, or to the sprayed particles thereof, or to solvent steam or rising vapors. With a view to ecology considerations, and in addition to the concern to confine the contaminant from escaping into the environment, the internal air of the chamber and all solvent are continually recycled for re-use according to the washing procedure. Such procedure entails, in the practice of the instant invention, keeping down the vapor concentration by defogging the chamber air, and simultaneously defogging the viewing window through blanketing same by the defogged air as recycled.

Claims

1. High pressure process, utilizing liquid spray and runoff, for cleaning by eye in a glove box machine having a sealed transparent viewing window susceptive to fogging, and sealed glove box gloves extending therebelow into the machine for manipulating parts therein, said machine providing a closed system for high pressure hand spraying of parts to be cleaned in a fully enclosed spray chamber of essentially vapor tight integrity, said chamber by the integrity of its enclosure defining a confined spray chamber atmosphere, and said process employing a prepared cleaning liquid from which splash-induced spray accumulates to a high vapor concentration in the confined spray chamber atmosphere, comprising the steps of:

forced blowing (140) in the machine of the atmosphere of the chamber in an internal path of closed cycle recirculation for recycling same by blower, characterized by effectively filtering and clearing in an internal blower tower the atmosphere from its entrained spray vapor to limit and dilute the vapor to reduced concentration in a filter ahead of the tower, and directing the vapor-ridded clear atmosphere across an adjacent surface of the viewing window so as to impinge same with a forced blanket of recycled drying air and to air-curtain off same from having a stagnant layer of foggy air nestling in and misting over said surface of the viewing window;

simultaneous forced pumping (72) through the machine of the cleaning liquid in another path of closed cycle recirculation for recycling same by pump and effectively glove-manipulating (52,54) the chamber parts so as to expose all areas of the parts and subject them to forced pressure spraying of said cleaning liquid thereupon and resulting runoff and spray emanating in the chamber therefrom;

simultaneously effecting crossover in a 1st crossover path of vapor rising from spray in the liquid path into entrainment in the atmosphere path, all because of overlap in operation of the several steps recited and all within the closed confines of said enclosure; and

simultaneously effecting crossover in a liquid crossover path of liquid agglomerate collected by the filter from the atmosphere path and reunited through the liquid crossover path with the liquid runoff in the liquid path, all because of the overlap in operation of all steps recited and all within the closed confines of said enclosure.

2. The invention of claim 1, the last named crossover path affording crossover characterized by:

simultaneously effecting crossover in a 2d crossover path (148) of liquid agglomerate dripover draining from a filter drip hole into reunion with the liquid of the runoff in the liquid path.

3. The invention of claim 2, further characterized by:

simultaneously effecting crossover in a 3d crossover path (150) of liquid agglomerate spillover of the filter into the internal blower tower and draining therefrom into reunion with the liquid of the runoff in the liquid path.

4. The invention of claim 1, the cleaning liquid which as prepared produces the indicated runoff and vapor rise-off:

characterized in composition by a prepared water mix, further characterized by a detergent water mix, and additionally characterized by a heated water mix; and

the rise-off vapor thereof consisting essentially of saturated steam from which the internal atmosphere is being de-saturated.

5. High pressure process utilizing spray and runoff for the cleaning, by eye in a glove box machine, of articles to be cleaned when enclosed in the machine and by means of pressurized liquid, said machine having a sealed transparent viewing window susceptive to fogging, and sealed glove box gloves extending therebelow into the machine for manipulating said articles therein, said machine providing by closed system a fully enclosed spray chamber of essentially vapor tight integrity, said chamber by the integrity of its enclosure defining a spray chamber atmosphere, and said process employing a prepared cleaning liquid from which splash-induced spray accumulates to a high vapor concentration in the thus confined spray chamber atmosphere, comprising the steps of:

impinging on an article exposed in all areas by glove-manipulation a high pressure spray of the prepared cleaning liquid in the machine producing floor runoff (158) from the high pressure spray and producing vapor rise-off (160) from the high pressure spray;

simultaneous forced blowing (140) in the machine of the atmosphere thereof in an internal path of closed cycle recirculation for recycling same by blower, effectively causing vapor-to-liquid agglomeration and separation by filtering (136) the atmosphere of its entrained vapor while on the upstream side of the blower, and directing the vapor-ridded clear atmosphere across an adjacent side of the viewing window so as to impinge same with a forced blanket of recycled drying air to defog the viewing window and to air-curtain off same from having a stagnant layer of foggy air nestling in and misting up the adjacent side thereof;

simultaneous forced pumping (72) through the machine of the cleaning liquid thereof in a path of closed cycle recirculation for recycling same by pump and effectively filtering (82) the liquid of washed-off contaminant while on the upstream side of the pump; and

simultaneously directing the path for the atmosphere'"'"'s closed cycle and the path for the liquid'"'"'s closed cycle so as to flow through an area in common, the common area completely enclosed by the enclosure (22) and accommodating crossover (160) of the vapor from the liquid path into the atmosphere path for admission into, and separation from atmosphere entrainment in a vapor-to-liquid agglomerating filter (136) located relatively upstream in the forced blown atmosphere path, all because of the overlap in operation of all steps recited.

6. High pressure process of machine spraying according to claim 5, further comprising:

simultaneously directing the vapor-to-liquid agglomerate, as filtered, to flow into the floor runoff for crossover and refiltering and repumping re-united with the liquid'"'"'s recirculation path.

7. High pressure process of machine spraying in accordance with claim 5, and with the pressurized liquid characterized by:

a steam liberating heated water solution of low sudsing detergent.

8. High pressure process of machine spraying in accordance with claim 5, wherein the cleaning liquid is gravity reservoired below a floor runoff zone comprising the further steps of:

sensing and responding to a fire in the floor runoff zone of said enclosure; and

automatically blocking off the reservoired liquid from the floor runoff zone in response to a sensed fire.

9. High pressure process utilizing spray and runoff for the cleaning, by eye in a glove box machine, of articles to be cleaned when enclosed in the machine and by means of pressurized liquid, said machine having a sealed transparent viewing window susceptive to fogging, and sealed glove box gloves extending therebelow into the machine for manipulating said articles therein, said machine providing by closed system a fully enclosed spray chamber of essentially vapor tight integrity, said chamber by the integrity of its enclosure defining a spray chamber atmosphere, and said process employing a prepared cleaning liquid from which splash-induced spray accumulates to a high vapor concentration in the thus confined spray chamber atmosphere,

comprising the steps of:

directing onto the article a high pressure spray of the prepared cleaning liquid in the machine producing floor runoff from the high pressure spray, and producing vapor rise-off from the high pressure spray;

simultaneous glove-manipulation of the article and by eye exposing all areas thereof to said high pressure spray;

simultaneous forced blowing in the machine of the atmosphere thereof, in an internal path of closed cycle recirculation for recycling same by blower, effectively causing vapor-to-liquid agglomeration and separation by filtering the atmosphere of its entrained vapor while on the upstream side of the blower, and directing the vapor-ridded atmosphere across an adjacent side of the viewing window so as to impinge same with a clear forced blanket of recycled drying air to defog the viewing window and to air-curtain off same from having a stagnant layer of foggy air nestling in and misting up the adjacent side thereof; and

simultaneously affording a space of confluent flow between the path for the atmosphere'"'"'s closed cycle and the flow of vapor rise-off through an area in common, the common area completely enclosed by the enclosure and accommodating crossover of the vapor into the atmosphere path for admission into, and separation from atmosphere entrainment in, a vapor-to-liquid agglomerating filter located relatively upstream in the forced blown atmosphere path, all because of the overlap in operation of all steps recited.

10. The invention of claim 9, the cleaning liquid which as prepared produces the indicated runoff and vapor rise-off:

characterized in composition by a prepared water mix, further characterized by a detergent water mix, and additionally characterized by a heated water mix; and

the rise-off vapor thereof consisting essentially of saturated steam from which the internal atmosphere is being de-saturated.

11. The invention of claim 10 characterized by the further step of:

simultaneous forced pumping through the machine of the heated water-mix detergent liquid in a path of closed cycle recirculation for recycling same by pump and effectively filtering the heated water-mix detergent of washed-off contaminant while on the upstream side of the pump.

12. The invention of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

simultaneously directing the vapor-to-liquid agglomerate, as filtered and separated out, to flow into said runoff thereby re-uniting the liquid of the agglomerate with the floor runoff liquid.

13. The invention of claim 12 wherein the prepared cleaning liquid is gravity reservoired below a floor runoff zone, additionally comprising the steps of:

sensing and responding to fire in the floor runoff zone of said enclosure; and

automatically sealing off the reservoired liquid from said floor runoff zone in response to a sensed fire.