초록 ▼

A cleaning system that utilizes an organic cleaning solvent and pressurized fluid solvent is disclosed. The system has no conventional evaporative hot air drying cycle. Instead, the system utilizes the solubility of the organic solvent in pressurized fluid solvent as well as the physical properties

A cleaning system that utilizes an organic cleaning solvent and pressurized fluid solvent is disclosed. The system has no conventional evaporative hot air drying cycle. Instead, the system utilizes the solubility of the organic solvent in pressurized fluid solvent as well as the physical properties of pressurized fluid solvent. After an organic solvent cleaning cycle, the solvent is extracted from the textiles at high speed in a rotating drum in the same way conventional solvents are extracted from textiles in conventional evaporative hot air dry cleaning machines. Instead of proceeding to a conventional drying cycle, the extracted textiles are then immersed in pressurized fluid solvent to extract the residual organic solvent from the textiles. This is possible because the organic solvent is soluble in pressurized fluid solvent. After the textiles are immersed in pressurized fluid solvent, pressurized fluid solvent is pumped from the drum. Finally, the drum is de-pressurized to atmospheric pressure to evaporate any remaining pressurized fluid solvent, yielding clean, solvent free textiles. The organic solvent is preferably dipropylene glycol n-butyl ether, tripropylene glycol n-butyl ether or tripropylene glycol methyl ether, a mixture thereof, or a similar solvent and the pressurized fluid solvent is preferably densified carbon dioxide.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A process for cleaning substrates comprising:placing the substrates to be cleaned in a cleaning vessel wherein the cleaning vessel is not pressurized; adding organic solvent to the cleaning vessel wherein the organic fluid solvent is in a liquid state at or substantially near atmospheric pressure

1. A process for cleaning substrates comprising:placing the substrates to be cleaned in a cleaning vessel wherein the cleaning vessel is not pressurized; adding organic solvent to the cleaning vessel wherein the organic fluid solvent is in a liquid state at or substantially near atmospheric pressure and room temperature; cleaning the substrates with the organic solvent; removing a portion of the organic solvent from the cleaning vessel; placing the substrates in a drying vessel; adding pressurized fluid solvent to the drying vessel; removing the pressurized fluid solvent from the drying vessel; and removing the substrates from the drying vessel.