Method and apparatus for dry cleaning as well as method and device for recovery of solvent therein

• US 5,107,605 A
• Filed: 11/29/1989
• Issued: 04/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Chiyoda-Ku
• Inventors: Hattori, Toshio, Tsukamoto, Hideo, Tsubaki, Yasuhiro, Hagiwara, Haruo, Yamada, Kiyomi, Takagi, Nobuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennett, Henry A.
• Application Number:
  US07/443,723
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 34/32, 34/77, 34/79, 68/18 C, 68/18 F, 68/18 R
• US Class Current: 34/74
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 43/086 Recovering the solvent from the drying air current

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a technique which comprises the steps of stopping the rotation of a treating durm in a deodorizing step, introducing the outside air into a treating tank through an upper opening provided in the upper portion of the treating tank or the upper portion of a recovery air duct, simultaneously exhausting a solvent gas from the treating tank through a lower opening provided in the lower portion of the treating tank or a button trap portion so slowly as not to agitate the solvent gas in the treating tank by an exhaust means connected to a solvent recovery device in the condition that the treating drum is stopped, in order to replace the solvent gas in the treating tank with the outside air, and reusing the solvent gas through the solvent recovery device once or several times. In addition, the present invention is further directed to an improvement of the above-mentioned technique. According to the above-mentioned technique of the present invention, a gas throughput which is required to recover a certain amount of the solvent in the treating tank can be noticeably miniaturized and hence it can be manufactured at a lower cost, as compared with conventional ones, and air pollution and the breakage of ozone layer can be prevented. Moreover, the solvent can be saved owing to its recovery and reuse, and occupation space for the solvent recovery device can be also saved.

Claims

1. A dry-cleaning apparatus, comprising a treating tank having an upper portion with an upper opening, said treating tank being rotatable, said upper opening being adjacent a recovery air duct for introducing outside air into the treating tank, for providing a deodorizing step during a condition in which the rotation of said treating tank is stopped;

a lower opening formed in a lower portion of said treating tank, said lower opening positioned adjacent a button trap portion forming a gas exhaust for exhausting a solvent gas from said treating tank in a pre-defined manner so as to reduce agitation of said solvent gas by employing a gas delivery device in said condition in which the rotation of said treating tank is stopped;

a solvent tank for receiving said solvent gas from said gas delivery device of said gas exhaust;

a door provided on said treating tank for opening said treating tank after exhausting said solvent gas for removing washed clothes and placing unwashed clothes therein; and

a gas return, connecting said solvent tank to said lower opening, for returning said solvent gas to said treating tank and means for simultaneously releasing air in said treating tank through said upper opening when said solvent gas is returned to said treating tank.

2. A dry cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said gas delivery device includes a gas compressor and said tank includes an exclusive solvent gas tank said exclusive solvent gas tank providing means for storing compressed solvent gas.

3. A device for recovering a solvent for a dry cleaner in which an air inlet is provided in the top portion of said dry cleaner and a solvent gas outlet is provided in the bottom portion of said dry cleaner so that air may be introduced into said dry cleaner through said air inlet and a solvent gas generated in said dry cleaner may be led to active carbon through said solvent gas outlet, whereby said solvent gas is adsorbed and recovered by said active carbon, said device being characterized in that another air inlet is disposed between an adsorption section of said active carbon and said solvent gas outlet so as to mix said highly concentrated solvent gas taken out from said dry cleaner with said outside air and so as to adsorb said diluted solvent gas by said active carbon.