Dry cleaning clothing - using liq. derivs. of methane or ethane and carrying out the cleaning in a totally enclosed recirculating cycle

摘要

Clothing is dry cleaned using liq. derivs. of the methane or ethane series and the whole cleaning cycle is carried out on the totally enclosed cycle principle. The clothing is dried by allowing the liquid cleaning agent to drain away from the drum into a sump and the residual air and agent vapour mixt. is heated using a heater and a fan and then recirculated through the articles. The mixt. is exhausted by a compressor which displaces the mixt. into an air cooled condenser. The gaseous agent is pptd. and the liq. is returned to the sump following removal of moisture in a water trap. Power input is reduced and chemical agent recovery is increased. Pref. the whole cleaning cycle is carried out under partial vacuum pressure and at the beginning of the cycle air is removed from the cleaning drum by inducing an 80% vacuum.