Method for removing dirt from objects to be cleaned

The two-stage cleaning process using heated oil and water vapor pressure addresses the environmental concerns of traditional solvent-based cleaning methods by efficiently removing dirt and oils from industrial products with reduced solvent use.

JP7658639B1Active Publication Date: 2025-04-08JAPAN FIELD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024143421
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-08-23
Publication Date
2025-04-08
Estimated Expiration
2044-08-23

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing cleaning methods require large amounts of cleaning solvents to effectively remove dirt and oils from industrial products, leading to environmental issues such as photochemical smog, ozone depletion, and increased carbon dioxide emissions.

Method used

A two-stage cleaning process using heated oil and water vapor pressure to physically remove dirt and oils from industrial products, eliminating the need for large amounts of cleaning solvents.

Benefits of technology

This method allows for efficient and effective removal of dirt and oils with minimal environmental impact, reducing cleaning costs and time while ensuring high safety and environmental considerations.

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Abstract

To enable cleaning of objects to be cleaned in a safe and environmentally friendly manner without using a large amount of cleaning solvent, even when cleaning with particularly strong physical force is required. [Solution] A first cleaning is performed in which the object to be cleaned, with water attached thereto, is brought into contact with heated oil 2 heated to 100°C or higher, and the water 11 attached to the object to be cleaned 17 comes into contact with the heated oil 2, and the water vapor pressure generated when the water 11 attached to the object to be cleaned 17 comes into contact with the heated oil 2 physically peels off the dirt attached to the object to be cleaned 17 and heats the object to be cleaned 17 to 100°C or higher. After the first cleaning, the object to be cleaned 17 heated to 100°C or higher is immersed in heated water 8, and the water vapor pressure generated when the object to be cleaned 17 comes into contact with the heated water 8 physically peels off the dirt remaining on the object to be cleaned 17 by the first cleaning.
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning method for removing dirt adhering to objects to be cleaned, such as machine parts, electronic parts, medical equipment, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. H05-004077 DISCLOSURE OF THEINVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When manufacturing industrial products made of metals, ceramics, resins, etc., heat is generated during processing such as pressing and cutting, so it is common to cool the materials using processing oil during the process. Therefore, when such processing is performed, oil, cutting waste, and other contaminants adhere to the industrial products to be cleaned in this application, and these must be removed.

[0005] Conventionally, when cleaning such objects, it has been common to use a large amount of cleaning solvent as shown in Patent Document 1. However, the use of such a large amount of cleaning solvent has caused photochemical smog, ozone layer destruction, soil contamination, and public hazards. In addition, since the use of fluorocarbon 113,1.1.1-trichloroethane was completely phased out worldwide in 1995, reducing carbon dioxide emissions has become a global issue in recent years. In order to solve such problems, it is necessary to significantly reduce the amount of cleaning solvent used during cleaning.

[0006] However, in the currently common cleaning methods for removing grease, carbon, water-soluble cutting oil, etc., particularly strong physical forces may be required. Therefore, in cleaning methods where it is difficult to apply strong physical forces, it is still necessary to use a large amount of cleaning solvent.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to make it possible to clean objects safely and environmentally without using large amounts of cleaning solvents, even in cases where strong physical forces are required. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the problems described above, the present invention performs a first cleaning in which an object to be cleaned, with water adhering thereto, is brought into contact with heated oil heated to 100°C or higher, and the water adhering to the object to be cleaned comes into contact with the heated oil, causing the pressure of steam to be generated, which physically peels off the dirt adhering to the object to be cleaned and heats the object to 100°C or higher; and after the first cleaning, the object to be cleaned, heated to 100°C or higher, is immersed in heated water, causing the pressure of steam to be generated when the object to be cleaned comes into contact with the heated water, which physically peels off the dirt remaining on the object to be cleaned.

[0009] The object to be cleaned may be immersed in water during the first cleaning to allow water or heated water to adhere to the object to be cleaned, and then the object may be brought into contact with the heated oil.

[0010] The object to be cleaned may be one that is brought into contact with the heated oil after shower water has been sprayed onto the object to be cleaned during the first cleaning. Effect of the Invention

[0011] As described above, the present invention physically peels off dirt adhering to the object to be cleaned in the first cleaning, and similarly physically peels off dirt remaining on the object to be cleaned after the first cleaning in the second cleaning. That is, the present invention enables two consecutive physical peeling cleanings, and therefore dirt adhering to the object to be cleaned can be physically peeled off and removed with a strong force by the pressure of water vapor. Therefore, for example, even for stubborn dirt on the object to be cleaned that was difficult to remove in the past, it becomes possible to easily remove the dirt from the object to be cleaned by the above-mentioned two consecutive peeling cleanings, and even in cases where a particularly strong physical force is required for cleaning, such as when a large amount of oil is attached to the object to be cleaned before cleaning, it becomes possible to quickly and effectively remove the dirt adhering to the object to be cleaned.

[0012] In addition, as described above, the present invention uses only heated oil and water or heated water to physically remove oil attached to the object to be cleaned, and does not require the use of cleaning solvents, making it possible to perform cleaning that is safe and environmentally friendly. In recent years, businesses that grill food on a grill, such as yakiniku and barbecues, have become popular in the food and beverage industry. In such businesses, hand washing has traditionally been common, in which used grills and jigs with meat oil and other residues are scrubbed with a scrubbing brush, making the cleaning process both cumbersome and expensive. By cleaning grills and jigs using the cleaning method of the present invention, the oil and dirt attached to the used grills and jigs can be easily and reliably peeled off and removed. In addition, the present invention uses only water and oil for cleaning, and does not use cleaning solvents, so it is safe and ideal for cleaning tools used when handling food, such as grills and jigs for yakiniku, as described above.

[0013] In addition, the present invention can keep cleaning costs low because cleaning can be performed only with the thermal energy costs for producing heated water, boiled water, and heated oil. Also, as described above, the oil and other deposits attached to the object to be cleaned can be physically removed from the object to be cleaned instantly as the water evaporates, so the time required for cleaning can be much shorter than with conventional methods. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention. Example 1

[0015] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. (1) is a water tank equipped with a third heater (12) and a third temperature sensor (13) therein. Water (11) at room temperature is stored in the water tank (1). In this embodiment, water (11) at room temperature is stored in the water tank (1) as described above, but this is not limited to this in other different embodiments. It is also possible to store heated water in the water tank (1) by heating the water (11) in the water tank (1) with the third heater (12) shown in Fig. 1.

[0016] A heating oil tank (10) is provided adjacent to the water tank (1). Heating oil (2) having a boiling point exceeding 100° C. is stored inside the heating oil tank (10). A first heater (3) and a first temperature sensor (4) are disposed in the heating oil tank (10), and the heating oil (2) is constantly maintained at a temperature of 100° C. or higher and lower than the boiling point of the heating oil (2) by the first heater (3) and the first temperature sensor (4).

[0017] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, a heated water tank (5) is disposed adjacent to the heated oil tank (10). A second heater (6) and a second temperature sensor (7) are disposed inside the heated water tank (5). Water (8) is stored inside the heated water tank (5), and the temperature of the water (8) is maintained at a temperature of less than 100°C by the second heater (6) and the second temperature sensor.

[0018] A method for washing an object (17) using the washing device configured as described above will be described below. First, before starting washing, the heated oil (2) is heated in the heated oil tank (10) to a temperature of 100°C or higher and below the boiling point. The water (8) stored in the heated water tank (5) is heated to an appropriate temperature below the boiling point. The heated oil (2) in the heated oil tank (10) and the heated water (8) in the heated water tank (5) are both managed by the first temperature sensor (4) and the second temperature sensor (4) to maintain the set temperatures, respectively.

[0019] First, the first cleaning of the present invention will be described. First, as shown in Fig. 1, the object (17) to be cleaned is immersed in water (11) in the water tank (1) to allow the water (11) to adhere to the object (17). In this embodiment, room temperature water (11) is stored in the water tank (1) as described above, and the water (11) is allowed to adhere to the object (17) to be cleaned. However, in other different embodiments, this is not limited to the above, and heated water may be stored in the water tank (1) and allowed to adhere to the object (17) to be cleaned.

[0020] In this embodiment, as described above, the water (11) is attached to the object (17) by immersing the object (17) in the water (11) in the water tank (1). However, in other embodiments, the invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to attach water to the object (17) by spraying shower water onto the object (17).

[0021] Thereafter, the object (17) to be cleaned is removed from the water tank (1) and the object (17) to which the water (11) is attached is immersed in the heated oil (2) in the heated oil tank (10) which is heated and maintained at 100°C or higher as described above. By immersing the object (17) to which the water (11) is attached in the heated oil (2) in this manner, the water (11) attached to the object (17) to be cleaned is instantaneously evaporated by contacting the heated oil (2). Therefore, the dirt attached to the object (17) to be cleaned is physically peeled off by the pressure of the water vapor generated during the instantaneous evaporation of the water (11). Also, by immersing the object (17) to be cleaned as described above, it is possible to heat the temperature of the object (17) to 100°C or higher.

[0022] After the first cleaning is completed as described above, the second cleaning is performed. The second cleaning of the present invention will be described. First, the object (17) to be cleaned, which has been immersed in the heated oil (2) and heated to 100°C or higher in the first cleaning, is removed from the heated oil tank (10). The object (17) to be cleaned is then immersed in the heated water (8) in the heated water tank (5). By immersing the object (17) in the heated water (8) in this manner, the heated water (8) comes into contact with the object (17) to be cleaned, which has been heated to 100°C or higher as described above, and the heated water (8) evaporates instantaneously. Therefore, the pressure of the steam generated during the instantaneous evaporation of the heated water (8) can physically peel off the dirt remaining on the object (17) to be cleaned after the first cleaning.

[0023] In this embodiment, pure water or nearly pure water is used as the heated water (8). When the object (17) is removed from the heated water tank (5) after cleaning, the heated water (8) adhering to the surface of the object (17) evaporates into the air. If tap water or the like is used, the evaporation of the heated water (8) can easily cause stains on the surface of the object (17). However, in this embodiment, pure water or nearly pure water is used as described above, so the occurrence of such stains after evaporation of the water can be minimized.

[0024] Moreover, by carrying out the first and second cleaning in the water tank (1), the heated oil tank (10) and the heated water tank (5) as described above, dirt adhering to the object (17) to be cleaned can be reliably removed. Therefore, cleaning can be carried out safely and environmentally friendly without using a cleaning solvent (18).

[0025] In addition, with the above-described simple configuration, this embodiment can perform washing twice consecutively, in which oil and solid matter adhering to the object (17) is instantly and physically removed by the pressure generated by the steam. Therefore, even when a large amount of oil was attached to the object (17) before washing, or when washing with particularly strong physical force is required, it is possible to quickly and effectively remove a large amount of solid matter, oil, and other dirt adhering to the object (17). [Explanation of symbols]

[0026] 2 heating oil 8 Heating water 11 water 17 Items to be washed

Claims

1. A method for removing dirt from an object to be cleaned, comprising the steps of: (a) bringing an object to be cleaned, having water adhering thereto, into contact with heated oil heated to 100°C or higher; and (b) heating the object to be cleaned to 100°C or higher using the pressure of steam generated when the water adhering to the object to be cleaned comes into contact with the heated oil (first cleaning); and (c) immersing the object to be cleaned, heated to 100°C or higher, after the first cleaning, in heated water, thereby physically removing the dirt remaining on the object to be cleaned by the first cleaning using the pressure of steam generated when the object to be cleaned comes into contact with the heated water.

2. 2. The method for removing dirt and cleaning an object to be cleaned according to claim 1, wherein the object to be cleaned is immersed in water during the first cleaning to allow water or heated water to adhere to the object to be cleaned, and then the heated oil is brought into contact with the object.

3. 2. The method for removing dirt and cleaning an object to be cleaned according to claim 1, characterized in that the object to be cleaned is first sprayed with shower water during the first cleaning to cause water or heated water to adhere to the object, and then the heated oil is brought into contact with the object.

Citation Information

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