Dry cleaner and drying machine

Abstract

An object is to provide a dry cleaner in which an installing operation is facilitated and in which environments are taken into consideration, and the dry cleaner rotates a drum containing clothing and successively executes a washing step using a washing liquid, a dewatering step, and a drying step. Heating and cooling units for executing the respective steps comprise a heat pump device, the washing liquid is heated by the heat pump device using carbon dioxide as a refrigerant of a refrigerant circuit constituting the heat pump device, the washing liquid is cooled by the heat pump device, air supplied to the drum in the drying step is heated by the heat pump device, and the air discharged from the drum in the drying step is cooled by the heat pump device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a dry cleaner which executes steps of washing•dewatering and drying clothing in a drum using a solvent such as silicon as a washing liquid. [0002] Moreover, the present invention relates to a drying machine comprising a water-cooling type heat exchanger for taking heat of a refrigerant which enters expansion means. [0003] In a dry cleaner, a petroleum-based solvent has heretofore been supplied into a drum. After washing clothing, the solvent in the drum is discharged to rotate the drum at a high speed, and the clothing is dewatered. Moreover, to dry the clothing, dry air (high-temperature air) is circulated in the drum, the solvent is evaporated from the clothing, and drying is performed (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-173688). [0004] However, steam generated by a petroleum boiler or the like has heretofore been used as a heating source of air for drying, and cooling water has been used as a ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016] Especially, the heating and cooling are performed in the dry cleaner utilizing a heat radiating function and a heat absorbing function obtained by a heat pump. Therefore, as compared with the dry cleaner which performs the heating and cooling using a special device, energy efficiency is remarkably improved, and this can also contribute to environmental problems.

[0040] The circulation of the cooling water into the water-cooling heat exchanger is stopped from the start of the drying step until the temperature of the air passed through the storage chamber rises at the predetermined upper-limit temperature. Then, the temperature of the drying air at the start of the drying step can be further quickly raised.

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, an installation operation such as a piping work has been remarkably difficult in an environment where it is difficult to install the boiler.

However, in a conventional dry cleaner using a petroleum boiler, there is fear that the environmental problem is caused by consumption of petroleum fuel.

However, in the drying machine in which the electric heater is used, a heat generation efficiency (ratio of a generated heat amount with respect to projected power) is 1, which is low.

The drying machine using the gas burning heater has a problem that equipment works such as gas piping and exhaust duct are required at the time of installation of the device.

However, in the drying machine using the heat pump, a heating capability is small as compared with a drying machine using a conventional electric heater or gas burning heater.

There has been a problem that much rising time is required until humidity can be taken from a matter to be washed.

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