Method for cleaning objects to be cleaned

Abstract

Regarding cleaning solvents used to clean oil-contaminated objects, the aim is to minimize contamination of the cleaning solvent by oil stains removed from the objects, thereby preventing significant deterioration of the cleaning solvent, and to efficiently recover the cleaning solution and cleaning solvent used for cleaning, enabling repeated use. [Solution] After supplying cleaning steam from a steam generating tank to a cleaning tank and performing steam cleaning of the object to be cleaned with the cleaning steam, a cleaning solvent is supplied from a liquid tank to the cleaning tank and sprayed onto the object to be cleaned to perform spray cleaning. After the spray cleaning, cleaning steam is supplied again from the steam generating tank to the cleaning tank to perform a final cleaning of the object to be cleaned, and then the object to be cleaned is subjected to self-heating drying. Furthermore, the condensate of the cleaning steam recovered during steam cleaning and / or final cleaning can be recovered in the steam generating tank, and the cleaning solvent used during spray cleaning can be recovered in the liquid tank.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for cleaning an object to be cleaned, which removes dirt adhering to objects to be cleaned such as mechanical parts, electronic parts, and medical devices.

Background Art

[0002] When manufacturing industrial products such as metals, ceramics, and resins, heat is generated during processing such as pressing and cutting. Therefore, it is common to perform operations while cooling the material with processing oil. Therefore, after performing such processing, dirt such as oil and cutting chips adheres to the object to be cleaned, and it is necessary to remove these.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As such cleaning of the object to be cleaned, after immersing the object to be cleaned in a cleaning solvent stored in a cleaning tank and performing liquid cleaning with the cleaning solvent, cleaning vapor is introduced into the cleaning tank, and vapor cleaning of the object to be cleaned with the cleaning vapor is performed. Then, a cleaning method of self-heating and drying the object to be cleaned is common.

[0005] However, when an object to be cleaned with a large amount of oil adhered is immersed in a cleaning solvent at the initial stage of cleaning, the contamination of the cleaning solvent becomes extremely significant. As a result, when the cleaning solvent is reused, the deterioration of the cleaning solvent is accelerated and the life is shortened. Therefore, the amount of the cleaning solvent discarded due to deterioration increases, which not only has an adverse effect on the environment, but also requires replacement with a new cleaning solvent in a short period of time, resulting in a large consumption of the cleaning solvent and high cleaning costs.

[0006] To solve these problems, a method is known in which, as described in Patent Document 1, oil adhering to the object to be cleaned is roughly removed by first performing steam cleaning, and then the object to be cleaned is immersed in a cleaning solvent for a final liquid cleaning. However, even in this case, a large amount of cleaning solvent is stored in the cleaning tank and used for cleaning, so the cleaning cost remains high.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a cleaning method that minimizes contamination of the cleaning solvent used for cleaning oil-contaminated objects by oil stains removed from the object to be cleaned, thereby preventing significant deterioration of the cleaning solvent, and also efficiently recovers the cleaning solution used for cleaning so that it can be reused. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention uses a cleaning tank in which an object to be cleaned is placed and cleaned, which is equipped with a spray means inside, a steam generating tank which stores a steam cleaning solvent inside and is capable of supplying cleaning steam to the cleaning tank, and a liquid tank which stores a cleaning solvent inside and is capable of supplying the cleaning solvent to the cleaning tank, and after supplying cleaning steam from the steam generating tank to the cleaning tank and steam cleaning the object to be cleaned with the cleaning steam, the cleaning solvent is supplied from the liquid tank to the cleaning tank and sprayed onto the object to be cleaned with the spray means to perform spray cleaning, after which the cleaning steam is supplied again from the steam generating tank to the cleaning tank and a final cleaning of the object to be cleaned is performed with the cleaning steam, and then the object to be cleaned is self-heated and dried. The contents of the washing tank under normal pressure A method for cleaning objects, wherein the condensate of the cleaning steam recovered during the steam cleaning and / or finish cleaning can be recovered in the steam generating tank, and the cleaning solvent used during the spray cleaning can be recovered in the liquid tank.

[0009] Furthermore, the steam generator and the liquid tank may be provided separately from the cleaning tank, and the cleaning tank and the steam generator, and the cleaning tank and the liquid tank may be connected to each other by separate piping. With the above configuration, the condensate and cleaning solvent can be recovered separately after use, so even if the condensate and the cleaning solvent are liquids with different components, for example, there is no need to separate the condensate and the cleaning solvent, and they can be used for the next cleaning immediately after recovery. In addition, if the steam generator and the liquid tank are not connected to the atmosphere, it is possible to prevent the evaporation of cleaning steam and cleaning solvent into the atmosphere, thereby preventing the unnecessary consumption of cleaning steam and cleaning solvent.

[0010] Furthermore, the cleaning solvent and the steam cleaning solvent may be solvents composed of the same components, i.e., the same solvent, or they may be solvents composed of different components, i.e., different solvents. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] As described above, the present invention involves removing oil stains attached to an object to be cleaned by steam cleaning, and then performing spray cleaning by spraying a cleaning solvent onto the object. Therefore, after removing most of the oil attached to the object by steam cleaning, the remaining dirt that could not be removed by steam cleaning can be removed by spray cleaning. Consequently, since most of the oil on the object to be cleaned is removed by steam cleaning, contamination of the cleaning solvent used and recovered during spray cleaning can be minimized. Therefore, it is possible to prevent significant deterioration of the cleaning solvent recovered after spray cleaning and extend the life of the cleaning solvent, making it possible to continue repeated use of the cleaning solvent for a long time.

[0012] Furthermore, since the present invention makes it possible to recover the cleaning solvent and the steam cleaning solvent which is the condensate of the cleaning steam, it becomes possible to reuse the cleaning solvent and steam cleaning solvent repeatedly, thereby reducing costs and minimizing the amount of waste liquid and thus reducing adverse environmental impacts.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention is a finishing wash Practice Purification As a result, the temperature of the object to be cleaned becomes high when it comes into contact with the cleaning steam during the final cleaning. Therefore, during the self-heating drying after the final cleaning, the cleaning solvent and condensed cleaning steam adhering to the object to be cleaned can be rapidly evaporated from the surface of the object, allowing the drying process to be carried out efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] A conceptual diagram showing Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] A conceptual diagram showing Embodiment 2 of the present invention. [Example 1]

[0015] The cleaning method of this embodiment will be explained in Figure 1. First, in the cleaning method of this embodiment, (1) is a cleaning tank, and in this embodiment, a cleaning apparatus is used in which the cleaning tank (1), a liquid tank (2), and a steam generating tank (3) are each provided separately. As shown in Figure 1, the liquid tank (2) and the steam generating tank (3) are located below the cleaning tank (1). Furthermore, the steam generating tank (3) is equipped with a heater (4) that can heat the steam cleaning solvent (32) stored inside and a temperature sensor (5) that manages the temperature of the steam cleaning solvent (32).

[0016] Furthermore, the cleaning tank (1) has a cooling coil (6) wound around its inner circumference on the side of the opening (31), and a recovery tray (7) is provided below the cooling coil (6) and on the inner circumference of the central part of the cleaning tank (1). Below the recovery tray (7), a spray head (15), which is a spraying means of the present invention, is fixedly positioned on the inner circumferential wall of the cleaning tank (1) and below the recovery tray (7), enabling the spraying of cleaning solvent (33) onto the object to be cleaned (30) placed inside the cleaning tank (1). The spray head (15) is positioned with its nozzle (34) facing the object to be cleaned (30), as shown in Figure 1, so that the cleaning solvent (33) can be sprayed onto the object to be cleaned (30) placed inside the cleaning tank (1).

[0017] Furthermore, one end of the first pipe (10) is connected to the bottom wall (8) of the liquid tank (2). The other end of the first pipe (10) branches into a second pipe (11) and a third pipe (12). A three-way valve (13) is provided at the connection point of the first pipe (10), the second pipe (11), and the third pipe (12), and a first valve (14) is provided in the first pipe (10). The second pipe (11) is connected to the liquid tank (2), and the third pipe (12) is connected to the steam generating tank (3).

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, one end of the fourth pipe (16) is connected to the bottom of the liquid tank (2), and the other end of the fourth pipe (16) is connected to the spray head (15) of the cleaning tank (1). The fourth pipe (16) is equipped with a pump (18) and a filter (20) for transferring the cleaning solvent (33) from the liquid tank (2) to the cleaning tank (1), and is also provided with a second valve (21). By operating the pump (18) with the second valve (21) open, the cleaning solvent (33) in the liquid tank (2) can be transferred to the spray head (15) through the fourth pipe (16). A fifth pipe (17) is connected between the cleaning tank (1) and the steam generating tank (3), and a third valve (22) is provided in the fifth pipe (17).

[0019] Also, a sixth pipe (23) is connected between the recovery tray (7) of the cleaning tank (1) and the steam generation tank (3), and a water separator (24) is provided in the sixth pipe (23). Further, a fourth valve (25) is provided in the sixth pipe (23) between the water separator (24) and the cleaning tank (1), and a fifth valve (26) is provided between the water separator (24) and the steam generation tank (3). Also, as shown in FIG. 1, unlike the cleaning tank (1), the inside of the steam generation tank (3) and the liquid tank (2) is configured not to have an opening and is not in communication with the atmosphere. This can prevent the evaporation of the cleaning steam (27) and the cleaning solvent (33) into the atmosphere and prevent the wasteful consumption of the cleaning steam (27) and the cleaning solvent (33).

[0020] A cleaning method for the object to be cleaned (30) using the cleaning device configured as described above will be described below. At the start of cleaning, all valves of the first valve (14) to the fifth valve (26) are closed in advance, and the object to be cleaned (30) is placed in the cleaning tank (1). Also, by operating the heater (4) in the steam generation tank (3), the steam cleaning solvent (32) in the steam generation tank (3) is heated to generate cleaning steam in the steam generation tank (3).

[0021] First, the third valve (22) of the fifth pipe (17) is opened to transfer the cleaning steam (27) in the steam generation tank (3) into the cleaning tank (1). Thereby, steam cleaning of the object to be cleaned (30) is performed in the cleaning tank (1).

[0022] Here, the cleaning steam (27) transferred into the cleaning tank (1) as described above is cooled by the cooling coil (6) in the cleaning tank (1) and condensed and liquefied, and the condensate is recovered in the recovery tray (7). Then, by opening the fourth valve (25) and the fifth valve (26), the condensate recovered in the recovery tray (7) is transferred to the water separator (24) through the sixth pipe (23). Thereafter, the condensate is separated into water and the steam cleaning solvent (32) in the water separator (24), and only the steam cleaning solvent (32) is transferred back into the steam generation tank (3) through the fifth valve (26) and recovered.

[0023] And after the steam cleaning is completed, the third valve (22) of the fifth pipe (17) is closed, and further the first valve (14) of the first pipe (10) is opened, and the three-way valve (13) is operated to put the first pipe (10) and the third pipe (12) in a communicating state. Thereby, the condensate of the cleaning steam (27) that is condensed and liquefied in the cleaning tank (1) and stored at the bottom of the cleaning tank (1) is recovered into the steam generation tank (3).

[0024] Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning tank (1) has an inclined bottom wall (8), and the first pipe (10) is provided at the lowermost end of the bottom wall (8). Therefore, since the condensate in the cleaning tank (1) accumulates at the lowermost end of the cleaning tank (1), the condensate can be efficiently and quickly transferred from the first pipe (10) arranged at the accumulation position to the steam generation tank (3). And after the steam cleaning as described above is completed, the first valve (14) is closed.

[0025] Next, spray cleaning is performed. The spray cleaning will be described below. First, the second valve (21) is opened and the pump (18) is operated to transfer the cleaning solvent (33) in the liquid tank (2) to the cleaning tank (1) side through the filter (20) and the fourth pipe (16). Thereby, the cleaning solvent (33) is sprayed toward the object to be cleaned (30) through the spray head (15), and the spray cleaning of the object to be cleaned (30) is performed.

[0026] Here, in the cleaning method of the present embodiment, as described above, first, steam cleaning is performed, so that most of the oil adhering to the object to be cleaned (30) is removed by the steam cleaning. Therefore, by performing spray cleaning after the steam cleaning, it is possible to minimize the contamination of the cleaning solvent (33) used and recovered during spray cleaning. Thus, it is possible to prevent significant deterioration of the cleaning solvent (33) used for the spray cleaning, and the life of the cleaning solvent (33) can be extended, so that the cleaning solvent (33) can be repeatedly used for a long time in a good state.

[0027] After the spray cleaning is completed, the first valve (14) of the first pipe (10) is opened and the three-way valve (13) is operated to connect the first pipe (10) and the second pipe (11). As a result, the cleaning solvent (33) that has accumulated at the bottom of the cleaning tank (1) during the spray cleaning is transferred and recovered from the cleaning tank (1) into the liquid tank (2).

[0028] In this case as well, since the bottom wall (8) of the cleaning tank (1) is inclined, the cleaning solvent (33) that remained in the cleaning tank (1) during the spray cleaning is collected at the bottom and transferred from there to the liquid tank through the first pipe (10) and the second pipe (11). Therefore, it is possible to minimize the residue of cleaning solvent (33) in the cleaning tank (1). After all the cleaning solvent (33) in the cleaning tank (1) has been transferred, the first valve (14) is closed.

[0029] Then, after the spray cleaning is completed as described above, a final cleaning is performed again using the cleaning steam (27). That is, the third valve (22) is opened, and the cleaning steam (27) in the steam generating tank (3) is transferred again into the cleaning tank (1). As a result, a final cleaning, which is steam cleaning of the object to be cleaned (30), is performed in the cleaning tank (1).

[0030] During the final cleaning, just as during the steam cleaning, the cleaning steam (27) transferred into the cleaning tank (1) is cooled by the cooling coil (6) in the cleaning tank (1) and condenses into a liquid, which is then collected in the recovery tray (7). By opening the fourth valve (25) and the fifth valve (26), the condensate is transferred to the moisture separator (24), where it is separated into water and steam cleaning solvent (32). Only the steam cleaning solvent (32) is then transferred back into the steam generator (3) through the fifth valve (26) and collected.

[0031] Furthermore, similar to the steam cleaning process described above, the condensed liquid that is liquefied in the cleaning tank (1) and stored at the bottom of the cleaning tank (1) is also transferred to and recovered in the steam generating tank (3). After this final cleaning, the object to be cleaned (30) is left to stand in the cleaning tank (1) and dried by self-heating, thereby completing the cleaning process for the object to be cleaned (33) in this embodiment.

[0032] As described above, by performing a final wash before the self-heating drying process, the temperature of the object to be washed (30) becomes high due to the washing steam (27). Therefore, during self-heating drying, the washing solvent (33) and the condensed washing steam (27) adhering to the object to be washed (30) can be rapidly evaporated on the surface of the object to be washed (30). As a result, the object to be washed (30) can be dried efficiently and reliably.

[0033] Furthermore, as described above, in this embodiment, by recovering the steam cleaning solvent (32) and the cleaning solvent (33) separately, it is not necessary to separate the steam cleaning solvent (32) and the cleaning solvent (33) even if they are different liquids. Therefore, after recovering the steam cleaning solvent (32) and the cleaning solvent (33), it is possible to quickly use them for the next cleaning. 。 [Example 2]

[0034] above Examples 1 is a washing tank (1 ) First connected pipe (10 )mosquito Second piping (11 ) and and third pipe (12 ) It branches off, and the first pipe (11 ) and the third distribution Tube (12 )and to liquid tank (2 )and Steam generator (3 )andAlthough they are connected to each other, in this embodiment the cleaning tank (81) and the liquid tank (82) are connected via a first pipe (83) so as to be able to communicate, and the cleaning tank (81) and the steam generating tank (84) are connected via a second pipe (85) so as to be able to communicate.

[0035] This embodiment Figure 2 shows To explain further, the liquid tank (82) and the steam generating tank (84) are located below the cleaning tank (81). The steam generating tank (84) is also equipped with a heater (87) that can heat the cleaning solvent (86) stored inside and a temperature sensor (88) that manages the temperature of the cleaning solvent.

[0036] Furthermore, the cleaning tank (81) has a cooling coil (91) wound around its inner circumference on the opening (90) side, and a recovery tray (92) is provided on the inner circumference of the cleaning tank (81) below the cooling coil (91) and in the center of the cleaning tank (81). One end of the first pipe (83) and one end of the second pipe (85) are connected to the bottom wall (93) of the cleaning tank (81). The first pipe (83) is equipped with a first valve (101), and the second pipe (85) is equipped with a second valve (102). The other end of the first pipe (83) is connected to the liquid tank (82), and the second pipe (85) is connected to the steam generating tank (84).

[0037] Furthermore, a third pipe (94) is connected between the washing tank (81) and the liquid tank (82). It will be done A third valve (95) is also provided. A fourth pipe (96) is provided between the recovery tray (92) of the washing tank (81) and the steam generating tank (84), and a moisture separator (97) is provided in the fourth pipe (96). A fourth valve (98) is provided between the moisture separator (97) and the washing tank (81).

[0038] The cleaning method for the object to be cleaned (100) using the cleaning device configured as described above will be explained below. First, at the start of cleaning, the first valve (101) to the fourth valve (9 8)The valve is closed. The liquid tank (82) contains the cleaning solvent (86), the steam generating tank (84) contains the steam cleaning solvent (103), and the object to be cleaned (100) is placed inside the cleaning tank (81). In this embodiment, the cleaning solvent (86) and a solvent for steam cleaning (103) and They are using the same liquid.

[0039] First, the second valve (102) of the second pipe (85) is opened, and the cleaning steam (105) in the steam generating tank (84) is transferred into the cleaning tank (81). As a result, the object to be cleaned (100) is steam cleaned in the cleaning tank (81).

[0040] Here, the cleaning steam (105) transferred into the cleaning tank (81) as described above is cooled by the cooling coil (91) in the cleaning tank (81) and condenses into a liquid, and the condensate produced by this condensation is collected in the recovery tray (92). The condensate collected in the recovery tray (92) is then transferred to the moisture separator (97) through the fourth pipe (96). In the moisture separator (97), the condensate is separated into water and steam cleaning solvent (103), and by opening the fourth valve (98), only the steam cleaning solvent (103) is transferred back into the steam generator (84) through the fourth valve (98) and collected.

[0041] Furthermore, after the steam cleaning is completed, the second valve (102) of the second pipe (85) is closed and the first valve (101) of the first pipe (83) is opened. As a result, the steam cleaning solvent (103) that has condensed and liquefied in the cleaning tank (81) and accumulated at the bottom of the cleaning tank (81) is recovered into the steam generating tank (84).

[0042] After the steam cleaning described above is completed, spray cleaning is performed. The spray cleaning in this embodiment is described below as follows: First, the third valve (95) is opened and the pump (106) installed in the third pipe (94) is activated to transfer the cleaning solvent (86) in the liquid tank (82) to the cleaning tank (81) side through the third pipe (94). As a result, the cleaning solvent (86) is sprayed towards the object to be cleaned (100) through the spray head (104), and the object to be cleaned (100) is spray cleaned.

[0043] Furthermore, during spray cleaning, the cleaning solvent (86) used for spray cleaning is returned to the liquid tank (82) from the cleaning tank (81) through the first pipe (83). Therefore, the used cleaning solvent (33) can be quickly recovered into the liquid tank (2), enabling rapid and efficient repeated use.

[0044] After the spray cleaning described above is completed, a final cleaning is performed again using the cleaning steam. Specifically, the first valve (101) and the third valve (95) are closed and the second valve (85) is opened, and the cleaning steam (105) in the steam generating tank (84) is transferred again into the cleaning tank (81). As a result, a final cleaning, which is steam cleaning of the object to be cleaned (100), is performed in the cleaning tank (81).

[0045] During this final cleaning, as with the steam cleaning described above, the cleaning steam (105) transferred into the cleaning tank (81) is cooled by the cooling coil (91) in the cleaning tank (81) and condenses into a liquid, which is then collected in the recovery tray (92). The condensed liquid is then transferred to the moisture separator (97) via the fourth pipe (96), where it is separated into water and the steam cleaning solvent (103). Only the steam cleaning solvent (103) is then transferred back into the steam generator (84) via the fourth valve (98) and collected.

[0046] Furthermore, the cleaning steam in the cleaning tank (81) is condensed and liquefied, and the condensed liquid stored at the bottom of the cleaning tank (81) is transferred and collected in the liquid tank (82) through the first pipe (82), thus completing the final cleaning. After the final cleaning is completed, the cleaning of the object to be cleaned (100) is performed by self-heating drying while the object to be cleaned (100) is left standing in the cleaning tank (100), thereby completing the cleaning of the object to be cleaned in this embodiment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 1 ,8 1 Washing tank 2 ,8 2 liquid tank 3 ,8 4. Steam Generator 27 ,1 05 Cleaning steam 30 ,1 00 Items to be washed 31 ,1 03 Solvents for steam cleaning 33 ,8 6. Cleaning solvent

Claims

1. A method for cleaning an object to be cleaned in a cleaning tank under normal pressure, comprising: a cleaning tank equipped with a spray means inside and in which an object to be cleaned is placed and the object to be cleaned is cleaned; a steam generating tank which houses a solvent for steam cleaning and is capable of supplying cleaning steam to the cleaning tank; and a liquid tank which houses a cleaning solvent and is capable of supplying the cleaning solvent to the cleaning tank, wherein cleaning steam is supplied from the steam generating tank to the cleaning tank to perform steam cleaning of the object to be cleaned with the cleaning steam; the cleaning solvent is supplied from the liquid tank to the cleaning tank and sprayed onto the object to be cleaned with the spray means to perform spray cleaning; after the spray cleaning, the cleaning steam is supplied again from the steam generating tank to the cleaning tank to perform a final cleaning of the object to be cleaned with the cleaning steam; and the object to be cleaned is then self-heated and dried. The method is characterized in that the condensate of the cleaning steam recovered during the steam cleaning and / or final cleaning can be recovered in the steam generating tank, and the cleaning solvent used during the spray cleaning can be recovered in the liquid tank.

2. The method for cleaning an object to be cleaned according to claim 1, characterized in that the steam generating tank and the liquid tank are provided separately from the cleaning tank, and the cleaning tank and the steam generating tank, and the cleaning tank and the liquid tank are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other by separate piping.

3. The cleaning method for an object to be cleaned according to 1 or 2, characterized in that the cleaning solvent and the steam cleaning solvent are solvents consisting of the same components or solvents consisting of different components.

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